XC: Kimeli records top-10 finish at College Station
10/17/2025 2:42:00 PM | Cross Country
Women 16th, Men 27th in loaded fields at Arturo Barrios Invitational
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Returning to the form that saw her record top-15 finishes in four or her first five collegiate cross country meets last fall, Baylor sophomore Ruth Kimeli placed eighth individually Friday morning at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
On the same course where she qualified for last year's NCAA Championships, Kimeli ran a 6K time of 19:44.1, less than 15 seconds off a top-five finish. As a team, the Baylor women placed 16th in the massive 38-team field, scoring 455 points and finishing ahead of Big 12-rival TCU.
"Ruth had a great race," Baylor coach David Barnett said. "She was racing against some of the top women in the country. Really pleased at how she competed, and I think her best races are still in front of her, too."
Knocking more than 30 seconds off her previous best, freshman Rachel Haws was the Bears' No. 2 runner and finished 89th overall with a PR time of 21:38.5. Sophomores Sally Corder (21:58.1) and Ella Perry (22:03.3) were next, followed by sophomore Rickeisha Simms grabbing the fifth scoring position in her first-ever cross country meet with a time of 22:27.9.
"I was really proud of Rickeisha," Barnett said. "Overall, we're just one person away from really getting over the top and doing what we want to do. Over the next couple weeks, hopefully we get some people healthy and just keep piecing it together. Because if we have five women on the day, I think we'll be pretty good."
For the men, who placed 27th, sophomore Jack Sterrett led the way for the third-consecutive meet, finishing 109th out of a field of more than 300 runners with an 8K time of 24:42.8. Junior Straton Miller lowered his PR for the second-straight meet and finished 145th at 25:05.9.
Freshmen Caleb McCarver (25:54.2) and Amon Malekwen (26:12.0) held down the next two positions for the Bears, with Malekwen running in his first collegiate cross country meet. Sophomore Caden Biltz was the No. 5 scoring runner with a time of 26:26.8.
"(The men) did a better job than they did at Missouri as far as putting themselves in the race," Barnett said. "I think we have to keep improving as far as getting a little bit fitter over the next couple weeks, because they weren't quite able to stay where they wanted to."
Baylor begins postseason in two weeks with the Big 12 Championships on Oct. 31 in Lawrence, Kan.
"It wasn't as good a day as I was hoping for," Barnett said, "but all I all, I think it's still a step in the right direction. The conference is not getting any easier, so I think it's so important to race against good people. You can race against people that are maybe a little bit slower than you, and you can maybe feel good about it. But it's not really what you need to get ready for the championship. So, this race was really important to me. And fortunately, we'll be back home relatively soon and get started with the recovery process."
For the latest news on the Baylor cross country team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
On the same course where she qualified for last year's NCAA Championships, Kimeli ran a 6K time of 19:44.1, less than 15 seconds off a top-five finish. As a team, the Baylor women placed 16th in the massive 38-team field, scoring 455 points and finishing ahead of Big 12-rival TCU.
"Ruth had a great race," Baylor coach David Barnett said. "She was racing against some of the top women in the country. Really pleased at how she competed, and I think her best races are still in front of her, too."
Knocking more than 30 seconds off her previous best, freshman Rachel Haws was the Bears' No. 2 runner and finished 89th overall with a PR time of 21:38.5. Sophomores Sally Corder (21:58.1) and Ella Perry (22:03.3) were next, followed by sophomore Rickeisha Simms grabbing the fifth scoring position in her first-ever cross country meet with a time of 22:27.9.
"I was really proud of Rickeisha," Barnett said. "Overall, we're just one person away from really getting over the top and doing what we want to do. Over the next couple weeks, hopefully we get some people healthy and just keep piecing it together. Because if we have five women on the day, I think we'll be pretty good."
For the men, who placed 27th, sophomore Jack Sterrett led the way for the third-consecutive meet, finishing 109th out of a field of more than 300 runners with an 8K time of 24:42.8. Junior Straton Miller lowered his PR for the second-straight meet and finished 145th at 25:05.9.
Freshmen Caleb McCarver (25:54.2) and Amon Malekwen (26:12.0) held down the next two positions for the Bears, with Malekwen running in his first collegiate cross country meet. Sophomore Caden Biltz was the No. 5 scoring runner with a time of 26:26.8.
"(The men) did a better job than they did at Missouri as far as putting themselves in the race," Barnett said. "I think we have to keep improving as far as getting a little bit fitter over the next couple weeks, because they weren't quite able to stay where they wanted to."
Baylor begins postseason in two weeks with the Big 12 Championships on Oct. 31 in Lawrence, Kan.
"It wasn't as good a day as I was hoping for," Barnett said, "but all I all, I think it's still a step in the right direction. The conference is not getting any easier, so I think it's so important to race against good people. You can race against people that are maybe a little bit slower than you, and you can maybe feel good about it. But it's not really what you need to get ready for the championship. So, this race was really important to me. And fortunately, we'll be back home relatively soon and get started with the recovery process."
For the latest news on the Baylor cross country team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.
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