Alabama
Southern Showcase
Cross Country Claims Victory at Southern Showcase
9/18/2026 12:30:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Lokira broke his own course record set last season to secure the top spot in the men’s 8K
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The No. 4/No. 11 men's and women's cross country programs were both victorious in their respective showings at the Southern Showcase at John Hunt Park on Friday morning. On the men's side, Dismus Lokira, whose time of 23:08.08 in the 8K not only cemented a first-place finish but surpassed his previous course record of 23:11.08 set in 2025. For the women, Caren Kiplagat was the first to the finish line, closing the 5K run with a top mark of 15:41.04.
Not far behind Lokira was Rodgers Plimo (23:09.08 | 2nd), Duncan Gituku (23:19.04 | 3rd), Dennis Kipruto (23:32.06 | 4th) and Ezekiel Pitireng (23:25.05 | 5th), as the Tide swept the top-five placers in the 8K. Brenda Tuwei (15:54.00 | 3rd), Cynthia Jemutai (15:59.02 | 6th), Milicent Wafula (16:09.09 | 8th) and Mildred Rono (16:34.06 | 10th) were among Alabama's five top-10 finishers.
Men's 8K Rundown
- Alabama saw 11 of its 12 men finish in the top 43 of the 304-man field, including eight racers in the top 20 and six in the top 10
- Bismack Kipchirchir (23:42.09 | 8th), Ethan Locke (24:12.01 | 13th) and Jackson Hogsed (24:22.06 | 19th) all finished as top-20 placers, helping solidify the Tide's top result
- Jackson Harris (24:36.08 | 26th), Evan Simpson (24:37.09 | 29th) and Evan Trapp (25:03.03 | 43rd) also closed among the first 43 men to cross the finish line
Women's 5K Rundown
- Alabama was boosted by the time of Sharon Kipchumba (17:05.09 | 14th), who concluded the race as one of the Tide's six racers in the event's top 15
- Freshmen Celina Coryell (17:40.09 | 41st), Khushi Deol (18:04.02 | 63rd) and Eliana Black (18:09.03 | 74th) were all among the top 75 of the 309 competitors
From Head Coach Dan Waters
- "I'm really proud of our team, with both the men and women achieving victory this morning. We had numerous racers on both sides show their toughness in a blistering heat, but I love the way they persevered. Again, just proud of our whole team and we'll start preparing for Princeton this week."
Men's 8K Individual Results
- 1st – Dismus Lokira – 23:08.08
- 2nd – Rodgers Plimo – 23:09.08
- 3rd – Duncan Gituku – 23.19.04
- 4th – Dennis Kipruto – 23:21.06
- 5th – Ezekiel Pitireng – 23:23.05
- 8th – Bismack Kipchirchir – 23:42.09
- 13th – Ethan Locke – 24:12.01
- 19th – Jackson Hogsed – 24:22.06
- 26th – Jackson Harris – 24:36.08
- 29th – Evan Simpson – 24:37.09
- 43rd – Evan Trapp – 25:03.03
- 107th – William Scharf – 25:43.03
Women's 5K Individual Results
- 1st – Caren Kiplagat – 15:41.04
- 3rd – Brenda Tuwei – 15:54.00
- 6th – Cynthia Jemutai – 15:59.02
- 8th – Milicent Wafula – 16:09.09
- 10th – Mildred Rono – 16:34.06
- 14th – Sharon Kipchumba – 17:05.09
- 41st – Celina Coryell – 17:40.09
- 63rd – Khushi Deol – 18:04.02
- 74th – Eliana Black – 18:09.03
- 112th – Meriel Rowland – 18:34.00
- 199th – Lucy Quintana – 19:22.05
- 262nd – Kayleigh Norris – 20:12.05
Up Next
- The Crimson Tide will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 26, when Alabama travels to New Jersey for the Meadows Challenge at Princeton University
- The meet, hosted at the Meadows Campus Cross Country Course, is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. CT start
