The Tigers charged swiftly through their first road meet of the season, with the women placing first as a team in the 5,000-meter race and the men placing second in the 8,000-meter race at the Greeno Dirksen
Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday morning.
Women’s 5k Standout
Sophomore Charlotte Cullen led the way for the Tigers with a third-place finish in the 5,000-meter race, clocking a time of 17:51.5.
With two Tigers finishing in the top 10 out of 22 teams, the women were able to gain a promising enough advantage early in the race. Their combined efforts ultimately led to a first-place team victory, finishing with a combined score of 76 points.
“The more we can have the Big 10, SEC teams play against each other, that type of stuff, to me, is fun,” cross country coach Kyle Levermore said.
During the 3k split, Anderson placed ninth with a time of 10:51.5, while Cullen and Newman followed close behind with identical splits of 10:51.7. Their consistent pacing was able to position the Tigers well for a strong team finish in the better half of the race.
“We’re a little bit older, and we do have experience, and I think that brings a sense of calmness amongst the group,” Levermore said.
After placing 11th at the 3k split, Cullen surged in the final stretch to finish third overall, surging forward to break into the top three by the end of the race. Close behind her in the finish line was Newman, who placed fifth with a time of 17:54.29.
Backed by standout efforts of Allison Newman and Teegan Anderson, the Tigers secured their second first-place finish of the season in a women’s race. Cullen’s standout performance solidified her role as a key contributor for the Tigers and set a promising tone for the team’s momentum moving forward.
“I think this team is really light hearted, this team is really fun, but they’re really, really dialed in, and so it’s just been a really fun month,” Levermore said.
Men’s 8k Triumph
Elijah Limo of Kenya surged to a second-place finish for the Tigers, recording a notable 8K time of 24:13.8.
With four Tigers finishing in the top 10 out of 23 teams, MU was ready for dominance. At the 3K split, Raymond Kipkoech led the pack for the Tigers with a time of 9:14.6, while Ryder James and Austin Popplewell followed just steps behind, clocking 9:14.5 and 9:14.6, respectively.
“For some of our newer athletes we’ll give them an opportunity to get out there and run that 8k distance before we really head into the bulk of the competitive season,” Levermore said.
In the 6,000-meter stretch, Limo quickly climbed into second place with a split time of 18:08.7, while teammates Kipkoech and Popplewell ran close behind, each clocking 18:23.2.
James, Popplewell and Kipkoech maintained top-10 positions throughout the race, helping fuel the Tigers’ drive to success. With their togetherness and ability to run as a pack, the trio set the tone for MU’s strong overall showing.
“[The race] is a good way to take the stuff we talk about in training and bring it into a competitive setting,” Levermore said.
James placed fifth overall for MU, finishing the 8,000-meter race with a time of 24:27.21. Close behind, Popplewell and Kipkoech crossed the line one after the other, with times of 24:37.20 and 24:42.14.
Overall, Limo delivered a strong performance in his first race as a Tiger, securing second place with a solid finish in the 8k. With the help of his teammates James, Popplewell and Kipkoech, MU put together a formidable team effort that positioned them for an emerging rest of their season.
“This is the most fun I’ve had coaching,” Levermore said. “I told the team yesterday, it was one of my favorite days I’ve ever had coaching in Missouri, and for no reason other than we were out at the cross country course.”
