Runners put forth dominating performance

Women's Results
Men's Results (Not Immediately Available)

LEVELLAND – Wayland's top-ranked women's cross country team put together a dominating effort at Saturday's South Plains College Open.
 
In their next-to-last tune-up before the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships, the Pioneers racked up just 17 points to easily win the 10-team meet held at Brashear Lake.
 
"It was a solid meet for our women. We won pretty handily," Wayland coach Brian Whitlock said.
 
With a 5K team average of 19 minutes, 35.12 seconds, the Pioneers were more than five minutes faster per runner than second-place New Mexico State, which finished with 64 points. Angelo State (123) was third and West Texas A&M (125) fourth.
 
Teresha Jacobs finished first for Wayland and fourth overall with a time of 19:20.70. She was followed immediately by Jackline Jemeli (19:20.70) in fifth and Jackline Cherono (19:21.00) in sixth. The overall winner, competing unattached, was Dlamini Nokuthula in 18:17.50.
 
"My top three girls ran together the whole way before Teresha broke free the last 800. It was a very good run by all three of them," Whitlock said. "Jemeli was 11th (at nationals) last year, so if we have two girls with her that is good." 
 
Two spots behind Wayland's top trio was Elizabeth Williams in eighth place (19:49.70).
 
"Liz ran well at 35 seconds behind my top girl," Whitlock said.
 
Rounding out the squad were Prudence Kiyeng in 12^th (20:09), Taylor Williams in 15^th (20:23), Tiffany Cano in 20^th (20:45), and Tanya Pavez in 39^th (21:50). Seventy-eight runners participated.
 
"My 6-7-8 girls ran their best races of the season also," Whitlock said. "We had very good gaps 1 through 5 and 1 through 7."
 
The coach said the lone downer was Kiyeng. "Prudence is not running well because of an issue with her breathing and back. We are trying to get it better. If she is where she should be then we are really, really good. She is just as good as my other three up front."
 
Wayland also competed in the men's division, although those results weren't immediately available due to a technical issue.
 
Whitlock said his men's runners were "decent. We are learning a few things with the new guys. They ran a lot better than what we ran at Tech (in the season-opener). Derrick Reid and Martin Harding ran pretty well."
 
Wayland next competes Oct. 20 at the NAIA Mid-States Classic in Winfield, Kan., leading up to the SAC Championships Nov. 3 at Woodson Park in Oklahoma City.