XC: Sophomore Kimeli Earns All-Region Nod
11/14/2025 4:42:00 PM | Cross Country
Women place 12th overall; Kimeli awaits at-large bid for NCAA Championships
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Following her race strategy to perfection, Baylor sophomore Ruth Kimeli got out with the front pack at the NCAA South Central Regional and earned all-region honors for the second-consecutive year with a top-10 finish Friday morning at Agri Park.
Kimeli, an NCAA Championship qualifier last year, finished eighth overall and fifth among runners not on automatic qualifying teams with a 6K time of 20:11.4. That leaves her one spot out of an individual qualifying spot, but she is expected to get one of two at-large spots given to the highest fifth-place finisher among the nine regional meets when those selections are announced on Saturday.
"She ran really well," Baylor coach David Barnett said. "Some other people just had a better day, but she beat some really good women that scored on the track at (the NCAA Championships) last year."
The LSU and Texas A&M women finished 1-2 and grabbed the automatic team qualifying spots, while the host Arkansas team placed fourth and will miss the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2010. Baylor placed 12th in the 24-team field, with sophomores Ella Perry and Sally Corder and freshmen Rickeisha Simms and Rachel Haws also scoring for the Bears.
"I thought the other women were fine. We just have to be a little more aggressive earlier in the race," Barnett said. "But they're getting valuable experience that I think are going to set us up to be a couple really strong teams in the future."
The lone runner for Baylor on the men's side, sophomore Jack Sterrett finished 122nd in the challenging 10K race with a time of 33:31.9. Tulane and Arkansas finished 1-2 in the men's team race, separated by just two points (44-46).
After never fully recovering from a slow start at the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago, Kimeli got out with the lead pack from the start and came through the first 1,600 meters in 5:15.4, less than five seconds out of first. On basically the same pace, she was also fifth at the 3.2K marker, before settling into eighth over most of the final 1,600 meters.
"It's better to keep up than catch up," Barnett said. "You've really got to put yourself up there and go to work. Especially when you're more of a 10K runner on the track, it's very unlikely that you're going to come from behind. I thought Ruth competed really well at the front. I was really pleased."
The at-large selections will be announced at 4 p.m. Saturday. If she advances, Kimeli will run in the NCAA Championship next Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Gans Creek Course in Columbia, Mo.
For the latest news on the Baylor cross country team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
Kimeli, an NCAA Championship qualifier last year, finished eighth overall and fifth among runners not on automatic qualifying teams with a 6K time of 20:11.4. That leaves her one spot out of an individual qualifying spot, but she is expected to get one of two at-large spots given to the highest fifth-place finisher among the nine regional meets when those selections are announced on Saturday.
"She ran really well," Baylor coach David Barnett said. "Some other people just had a better day, but she beat some really good women that scored on the track at (the NCAA Championships) last year."
The LSU and Texas A&M women finished 1-2 and grabbed the automatic team qualifying spots, while the host Arkansas team placed fourth and will miss the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2010. Baylor placed 12th in the 24-team field, with sophomores Ella Perry and Sally Corder and freshmen Rickeisha Simms and Rachel Haws also scoring for the Bears.
"I thought the other women were fine. We just have to be a little more aggressive earlier in the race," Barnett said. "But they're getting valuable experience that I think are going to set us up to be a couple really strong teams in the future."
The lone runner for Baylor on the men's side, sophomore Jack Sterrett finished 122nd in the challenging 10K race with a time of 33:31.9. Tulane and Arkansas finished 1-2 in the men's team race, separated by just two points (44-46).
After never fully recovering from a slow start at the Big 12 Championships two weeks ago, Kimeli got out with the lead pack from the start and came through the first 1,600 meters in 5:15.4, less than five seconds out of first. On basically the same pace, she was also fifth at the 3.2K marker, before settling into eighth over most of the final 1,600 meters.
"It's better to keep up than catch up," Barnett said. "You've really got to put yourself up there and go to work. Especially when you're more of a 10K runner on the track, it's very unlikely that you're going to come from behind. I thought Ruth competed really well at the front. I was really pleased."
The at-large selections will be announced at 4 p.m. Saturday. If she advances, Kimeli will run in the NCAA Championship next Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Gans Creek Course in Columbia, Mo.
For the latest news on the Baylor cross country team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
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