Troy Men Dominate Coach “O” Invitational, Women Take Second

Saturday, October 12

Troy, Ala.

10:30 a.m.

Troy University

Coach "O" Invitational

Troy Men Dominate Coach “O” Invitational, Women Take Second

10/12/2013 2:26:00 PM | Cross Country, Cross Country (M), Cross Country (W)

By: Joe St. Pierre

Women's Results | Men's Results

TROY, Ala. – Enock Kirui took the individual title, while the Troy men won the team championship and the women finished second at the 2013 Coach "O" Invitational on Saturday morning at the newly renovated Trojan Oaks golf course on the campus of Troy University.

"This meet has gotten better and better every time we do it and I'm really happy with the way everything turned out today," cross country coach Jeff Jenkins said. "On the men's side, they packed up very closely for the first two miles and sat comfortably about 200-meters behind the leader. At about halfway through the race I told Enock to go and he separated from the pack. At about the 6k mark Enock took his only lead of the race and never looked back. He gapped the individual runner-up by over 30 seconds in a span of about a mile."

The Troy men won with a score of 20 points, while the women scored 48 points and finished in a tie for second.

Kirui dominated the competition, winning by nearly 40 seconds, finishing the 8k race in 27:49.61. Troy also had the three other athletes finish in the top-5, with Tim Bulger taking third, Sean Kent taking fourth and Jake Bagwell finishing in fifth. Bulger finished in 29:17.65, Kent in 29:56.30 and Bagwell in 30:03.63.

Shakiel Parker was Troy's final scorer, placing seventh overall in 30:22.06. Sam Ammons placed ninth at 31:05.78 and Madison Estes took 10th at 31:23.55. Cameron Allen competed well in his first race, finishing in 12th with a time of 31:46.58.

"Julia led the women with another great performance," Jenkins said. "She ran around 40 seconds faster than what she did at this meet last year and she pulled some of the other ladies along very well. We went home with three ladies in the top ten, so I have to be happy about that."

Julia Ostendorf was once again Troy's top finisher, placing fifth overall with a time of 19:20.74, while Mikayla Hodges placed seventh at 19:48.71. Marsel Mosley took ninth in her first 5k race as a Trojan, finishing in 20:31.49.

Samantha Smith took 13th overall with a time of 20:50.88, while Haley Davies posted her best 5k time of the season, 20:55.28.

Rae Leach finished in 18th at 21:38.20, Keaton Wallace placed 19th at 21:46.71 and Tina Bokenfohr took 23rd with a time of 22:17.11. Kat Bokenfohr placed 24th at 22:17.35 and Kendall Harris took 29th at 23:09.31.

"What a great day," said head track and field coach Jill Lancaster. "We really liked what we saw out of both women's and men's teams today. We had the opportunity to run on the newly renovated Trojan Oaks golf course for the first time. We were delighted with what we saw athletically and facility wise in preparation for the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships. The course is very spectator friendly while providing a beautiful but challenging course for the athletes.

"Once again we would like to thank Coach Charles Oliver for his continued support of our program. He is a true Trojan."

The Trojans next travel to the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday, October 18.

Fans can keep up with all the action by following Troy track and field/cross country on Twitter at @TroyTrojanXC_TF .

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