Wildcats sweep team titles

Niamadu leads men; Cox carries women

ABILENE -- Abilene Christian University's men's and women's cross country teams won their respective team titles Friday at the ACU Cross Country  Classic, the season-opening event for both teams at Sherrod Park.

The men's team cruised to the title with four athletes finishing in the top six places and scoring 18 points, easily outdistancing second-place Angelo State, which finished with 53 points.  The women's team also cruised to a win with three athletes finishing in the top five places and scoring 34 points, also easily outdistancing second-place Angelo State, which finished with 52 points.

On the men's side, sophomore Nicodemus Naimadu picked up right where he left off in 2004 by winning the individual title.  Naimadu -- the 2004 NCAA Division II cross country athlete of the year and the individual national champion -- covered the four-mile course in 20:43.75 to win the title.

Naimadu, though, was pushed hard by teammate Philip Birgen, who finished second in 20:43.96.  Serge Gasore was fourth in 20:49.32, followed by Lucky Hadebe in sixth (21:07.40) and Alberic Nkurunziza was eighth in 21:27.30.

On the women's side, senior Trina Cox finished second overall on the three-mile course, hilw teammates Olha Kryv'yak and Adeh Mwamba finished third and fith, respectively.