FLORENCE, Ala. – The UT Southern men's cross country team delivered a strong performance on Friday at the North Alabama Invitational, finishing 4th overall out of 14 teams in a deep field featuring several NCAA Division I and Division II programs.
Bruno Villazon once again led the Firehawks, placing 7th overall with a time of 25:34.73. Freshman Frankline Kipruto followed closely in 8th at 25:35.44, and fellow freshman Martin VanHamme earned 13th in 25:46.73, giving UT Southern three runners inside the top 15.
Luca Neumeister (49th, 26:54.74) and Amon Rotich (50th, 26:55.35) rounded out the Firehawks' scoring five, while Matthew Andrea (66th, 27:20.00) and JJ Lincoln (91st, 28:16.79) provided strong depth.
Further down the standings, Cameron Stovall placed 113th (29:53.72), Daniel Sanchez finished 124th (31:01.86), and Jay Carroll came in 133rd (32:10.03), giving the Firehawks valuable depth heading into the next meet.
UT SOUTHERN FINISHERS
TEAM STANDINGS
| Place |
Team |
Score |
Scoring Finishers |
| 1 |
North Alabama |
51 |
1, 3, 9, 14, 24 |
| 2 |
Auburn Montgomery |
75 |
5, 6, 11, 25, 28 |
| 3 |
Alabama-Huntsville |
101 |
4, 17, 21, 26, 33 |
| 4 |
UT Southern |
119 |
7, 8, 13, 45, 46 |
| 5 |
Union (Tenn.) |
127 |
2, 16, 19, 40, 50 |
| 6 |
West Alabama |
142 |
18, 20, 30, 36, 38 |
| 7 |
West Florida |
147 |
15, 23, 29, 39, 41 |
| 8 |
Wallace State |
174 |
12, 22, 43, 48, 49 |
| 9 |
Montevallo |
212 |
10, 35, 44, 60, 63 |
| 10 |
Calhoun CC |
285 |
27, 47, 68, 69, 74 |
| 11 |
Enterprise State CC |
371 |
65, 73, 76, 78, 79 |
| 12 |
Marion Military |
379 |
70, 71, 75, 81, 82 |
| 13 |
Northwest-Shoals CC |
395 |
62, 66, 88, 89, 90 |
| 14 |
Jefferson State CC |
459 |
86, 91, 92, 94, 96 |
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
-
UT Southern finished 4th overall with 119 points.
-
The Firehawks placed three runners inside the top 15 for the first time this season.
-
Kipruto and VanHamme continue to impress, finishing as two of the top three freshmen overall.
-
Villazon has now earned back-to-back top-10 finishes to open the year.
-
Depth was a strength — 10 Firehawks finished inside the top 135.
NEXT UP
UT Southern will host the Firehawk Invitational on Friday, September 20, at Oakville Indian Mounds Park in Oakville, Ala.
FOLLOW THE FIREHAWKS
Stay up to date with all the latest action from UTS Athletics! Follow the Firehawks on social media:
Twitter: @utsathletics
Instagram: @utsouthernathletics
Facebook: @UT Southern Firehawks
Don't miss a moment — Go Firehawks!
