The Ole Miss Cross Country men’s team competed in the eight-kilometer race at the Nuttycombe Invitational hosted by the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday, Oct. 9. In the 35-team field, Ole Miss placed No. 26.
In the championship race, Kidus Misgina once again led the way for the Rebels. He worked his way up in the pack and finished No. 28 with a time of 23:12.9.
Next for the Rebels were John Shoemaker and Owen Kelley. Although they did not run the race together, they finished near each other, with Shoemaker in No. 111 and Kelley in No. 113.
The same went for Ky Hehir and Zack Gilbertson, who also did not run together but finished in similar positions. Hehir finished No. 195 in 24:40.8, and Gilbertson finished No. 199 with a time of 24:48.2.
Freshman Travis Furmanski and junior Samuel Ferguson also ended up near one another, but they stuck together the entire race and made moves together. At the conclusion of the race, the two non-scoring runners finished No. 216 and No. 225, respectively.
The No. 26 team finish for the Rebels could be cause for slight concern; however, this was an extremely competitive race. This year’s field included 17 of the Top 25 nationally ranked teams, and the lead pack set a blistering pace right from the gun.
A total of four runners finished under the course record of 22:33.8, and 16 runners finished under the previous meet best of 22:58.0.
Despite the disappointing finish in a fast field, the Rebels still have time to work on their position and improve, as they will see many of the same teams at their upcoming postseason meets.
The Rebels also had two runners in the separate B race. Sean Donoghue finished at No. 45 in 24:41.0, and Aidan Hodge finished at No. 69 in 25:04.1.
What’s next?
With the regular season concluded, Ole Miss looks to the SEC Championships in Columbia, Mo., on Oct. 30.
Full results for the Nuttycombe Invitational can be found here, a video replay of the championship race can be found here, and a video replay of the B race can be found here.
