Final Results

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The Norfolk State men’s cross country team capped a decade of MEAC cross country dominance on Saturday by winning its second consecutive conference championship and ninth in the last 10 years.

The Spartans won every MEAC men’s cross country title this decade except in 2007, when they finished second. Included in that span was a conference-record seven straight championships from 2000-06.

The Spartans tallied 33 points and had five All-MEAC runners Saturday on Maryland Eastern Shore’s 8,000 meter (five-mile) course.

Leading the way Saturday, as he has all year, was sophomore University of Wyoming transfer Philemon Kimutai (Eldoret, Kenya). He placed second overall in a time of 25:46. New York Tech transfer Amos Kipkosgei (Eldoret, Kenya) placed fourth in 26:02. He was followed by freshman Vincent Rono (Bomet, Kenya), who was seventh in 26:30.

Junior Josef Tessema (Springfield, Va.) and senior Jonathan Soimo (Kapsabet, Kenya) rounded out the Spartans’ top five by finishing ninth (26:43) and 11th (27:16), respectively. This was Soimo’s fourth All-MEAC honor in as many years.

NSU head coach Kenneth Giles was named MEAC Most Outstanding Coach for the ninth time in his cross country tenure and 17th time overall (including eight track and field honors).

“Our team did what we set out to do,” Giles said. “We had a solid year building to today, and now our focus will be performing at a high level at the regional next month.”

The Spartans will race at the 2009 NCAA Southeast Regional on Nov. 14 in Louisville, Ky.