The Auburn Cross Country team finished 25th overall at the NCAA Championship.
The event was at Terre Haute, Indiana, Monday, Nov. 23, hosted by Indiana State University.
Senior Felix Kiboiywo earned his second All-American honor while junior Ben Cheruiyot earned his first All-American honor of his career.
Kiboiywo placed 13th with a time of 29:50.1, and Cheruiyot placed 15th with a time of 29:51.4.
Other athletes who finished for Auburn were seniors Jean-Pierre Weerts and Scott Novack and sophomores Jeff Sanders and Charles Mitchell.
Weerts placed 116th with a time of 31:22 while Novack placed 152nd with a time of 31:47.
Sanders placed 207th with a time of 33:54 and Mitchell placed 212th with a time of 37:10.
Auburn faced teams such as Oklahoma State, Oregon, Alabama and Northern Arizona.
Oklahoma State captured the title followed by Oregon being placed second and Alabama third.
Head coach Mark Carroll said the team trained well for the championship.
"All season, we used the earlier meets as part of our training to get ready," Carroll said. "We focused on the SECs, the regionals and the NCAA. We learn our best at the right time."
Carroll said the championship was a learning experience for some of the athletes.
"For a couple of the guys, it was their first time at the NCAA," Carroll said. "I think they got a taste of what it means to compete at that level."
Sanders was one of those guys who experienced the championship.
"This year felt amazing to get to race in a championship race with the best college runners in the country," Sanders said. "I got to experience what it is like to compete in a big race and I hope it is not my last one."
Sanders said he has his own motivation for getting ready for any cross country competition.
"What motivates me is my team," Sanders said. "Whenever I get ready for a race, I tell myself that although I am running for a good time and place, it also correlates to how my team does."
Sanders said he still has a lot to learn for his collegiate career.
"It inspires me to push myself more and do all the little things in order to get better," Sanders said. "I am still learning from my collegiate running career and with every meet come a new lesson. I know that there are many national meets awaiting the Auburn Tigers in the future and whenever we step on that line, we are ready to battle."
Junior Holly Knight said the team needs to strongly prepare for the next season.
"I think to do well as a team we just all need to make sure we perform well," Knight said.
Knight said she believes the past season could not have gone worse for the team.
"I think we did as well as we could," Knight said. "We changed training because we got a new coach. I don't think we could have done any better."
Carroll said the team will take a break from competition during December before returning for spring Track and Field, beginning in January.
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