TicketsCINCINNATI -- Cincinnati freshman Nickson Kogei's electric debut earned him Big 12 Cross Country Runner of the Week honors, as announced Tuesday by the league.
The freshman won the men's side (8K) of the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational with a 22:39.4 mark, 1.2 seconds ahead of 10,000-meter All-American Ethan Coleman of the host Fighting Irish. It also serves as the fifth-best 8K time at that course in its history, when it expanded to 5 miles in 1968.
Kogei ran unattached in the team's season opener and did not compete in the last one, making for an incredible collegiate debut. He was fourth after the 1 mile and 3K checkpoints before taking the lead for good at the 6K. Notre Dame was ninth nationally and atop the Great Lakes Region, with Boise State also receiving votes to highlight the 18-team field.
The Bearcats return to action Friday, Oct. 17 at the Angel Mounds Invite in Evansville, Ind.