Men’s Cross Country Finishes 10th; Women Place 13th at ACC Championships

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Louisville men’s and women’s cross country teams opened postseason competition with a rainy 2021 ACC Championships Friday at Notre Dame’s Burke Golf Course. The women placed 13^th, while the men earned a 10^th-place finish.
 
On the women’s side, Purity Sanga was the top finisher with a personal-best 6K of 21:31.0 for a 54^th-place finish. Emma Bryant clocked in at 22:06.5 for 80^th, while Ivine Chemutai crossed the line shortly after in 22:37.6 for 99th. Freshman pair Megan John and Lexie Paszkiewicz rounded out the Cardinals’ scorers in their postseason debuts.
 
NC State’s Kelsey Chmiel took home the women’s individual title at 20:02.7 as the Wolfpack earned their sixth straight ACC Championship in a field that featured five top-30 programs.
 
The men’s team was led by Ian Kibiwot, who posted a 24^th-place finish with an 8K time of 24:18.3. The freshman has now finished in the top-25 as the Cardinals’ top-performer in every meet this season. Albert Kosgei improved his placing throughout the race, vaulting thirteen spots over the final 3.2K to clock a time of 24:23.8 for 34^th. Isaac Kiprop and Ben Ewert finished in 91^st and 95^th respectively to record four top-100 finishers for the Cardinals.
 
Ryan Johnston finished in the scoring five for the first time this fall with a time of 26:25.0 for 111^th place.
 
Florida State’s Adriaan Wildschutt crossed the line 16 seconds ahead of the next runner to take the men’s individual title at 23:07.0, while Notre Dame captured its second consecutive ACC Championship with 32 points.
 
The Cardinals will now turn their attention to the NCAA Southeast Regional on Friday, Nov. 12 at the E.P Tom Sawyer Park.