ROCK HILL, S.C. – For the first time since 1993, three Clemson women have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships as Silvia Jelelgo, Judy Kosgei and Gladys Chepngetich all punched their ticket to nationals on Friday following their performances at Southeast Regionals.
The Clemson Women earned sixth place overall in the 6k while the Clemson Men finished 16th overall in the 10k at Regionals in Rock Hill. Jelelgo, Kosgei, Chepngetich and Sawyer Dagan were all named All-Region.
“I’m proud of both teams and the way they competed today,” Head Coach Vicky Pounds said. “The Power Three did not disappoint, earning their way to the finals. Sawyer ran a heck of a race but we will have to keep our fingers crossed as to if he makes it to Wisconsin or not. Selections will be posted tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. ET.”
In the women’s 6k, the power trio of Jelelgo, Kosgei and Chepngetich never dropped below the top 10 and even held third, fourth and fifth at the 3k split. Jelelgo was the first to cross the line for Clemson as she earned second place just behind NC State’s Grace Hartman. The freshman finished the 6k with a time of 20:04.4, marking her second best 6k time of the season.
Following Jelelgo was Kosgei who finished the 6k with a time of 20:21.6 to secure fourth place overall. This marks the second time that Kosgei has qualified for nationals as she earned an automatic bid at last season’s Regionals for South Carolina.
Rounding out the top finishers for Clemson in the 6k was Chepngetich as she finished seventh overall with a time of 20:38.0. Chepngetich becomes the first Clemson female since 2019 to qualify for nationals in back-to-back seasons as Logan Morris qualified in 2018 and 2019.
In the men’s 10k, Sawyer Dagan was the first Tiger to cross the line as he earned 16th place with a time of 30:19.4 to be named All-Region. Following Dagan, freshman Garrett Brown finished with a time of 31:58.3 (79th) and Trey Sullivan (90th) crossed the line at 32:16.3 to finish in the Top 100. Dagan still has a chance to make nationals as the selections will be posted Saturday, November 16 at 5 p.m. ET.
WOMEN’S 6K RESULTS
- 2nd place – Silvia Jelelgo, 20:04.4
- 4th place – Judy Kosgei, 20:21.6
- 7th place – Gladys Chepngetich, 20:38.0
- 64th place – Maddie Dinneen, 22:02.3
- 107th place – Madison Timms, 22:40.3
- 108th place – Lowa Branth, 22:43.0
- 161st place – Alyssa Hammond, 23:36.6
MEN’S 10K RESULTS
- 16th place – Sawyer Dagan, 30:19.4
- 79th…