With a time of 23:30.23, sophomore Nickson Chebii finished seventh in the men’s 8K, while senior Gené Coetzee finished 23rd with a time of 17:15.64 in the women’s 5K.
At the event, hosted by Jacksonville State University and Huntsville High School at the John Hunt Cross Country Course in Huntsville, Alabama, the men’s team placed fourth out of 48 with a score of 148. The women’s team placed seventh out of 53 with a score of 249.
“Our men were strong today,” Auburn cross-country coach Aaron Kindt said. “They did a great job of establishing themselves at the front of the race early on. In a field with that many competitors, it can be easy to get swallowed up by that size of pack. I thought our guys did a really good job of navigating that early on without jeopardizing the rest of the race.”
Chebii had another strong performance, finishing as the first Tiger to cross the line for the second week in a row.
“Nickson showed he’s close to what he was at the end of last season for us, which is exciting to see from him,” Kindt said of Chebii, who placed 9th overall in the 8k at the 2024 SEC Cross Country Championships (22:44.90). “I also thought Max Hardin and Evan Hill put together complete races today.”
Junior Max Hardin was the next Tiger to finish, placing 17th with a time of 24:00.15.
Nearly 20 seconds later, Scottsboro, Alabama, native Evan Hill finished 27th overall in 24:19.25, setting a personal best in the 8k.
Sophomore Joshua Kosgei and freshman Bryce McCleary followed Hill soon after, finishing back-to-back in 52nd and 53rd with times of 24:41.03 and 24:42.02.
Seniors Joseph Perry (27:29.33) and Rex Green (28:19.39) rounded out the men’s lineup.
“The women had an off day,” Kindt said. “The start had us playing catch-up for most of the race and wasn’t quite the finish we were hoping for.”
After not competing in the opening meet at the JSU Foothills Invitational, Gené Coetzee led the women’s lineup in her 2025 season debut with a 5K time of 17:15.64. She placed 23rd out of 481 competitors.
After finishing third overall and first among the Tigers in the last meet, junior Cady McPhail was the second finisher for the orange and blue. Her 17:30.90 time was a new personal best in the 5K, netting her 38th overall.
“I thought Cady’s performance stood out,” Kindt said. “She put together another strong performance over 5000m, and it’s good to see her become more confident as a cross country athlete.”
Fourteen runners later, junior Mary Mac Collins finished with a time of 17:41.99, good for 52nd place.
Junior Audrey Dunn and sophomore Alexandra Walsh finished next within three seconds of each other. Dunn’s 17:53.50 put her in 70th place, while Walsh’s 17:56.40 resulted in a 77th-place finish.
Sophomore Mary Katherine Malone (18:09.00) and Addison Boyer (18:09.88) both finished in the top 100. Freshman Kennedy Hamilton finished 149th (18:33.30).
“A lot of positives coming out of this weekend overall,” Kindt said. “We now have a couple of races under our belt and some time to install more of our long-term training as we head into the most important stretch of our season in October and November.”
That stretch begins during the Tigers’ next meet in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the Crimson Classic on Oct. 17.
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