Naimadu wins individual title

ACU sophomore lead men's team to third-place finish

CARY, N.C. -- ACU sophomore sensation Nicodemus Naimadu ran away from the field Saturday at the Great American Cross Country Festival, winning an individual championship and leading the men's team to a third-place finish at the SAS Soccer Park.

Naimadu -- the reigning NCAA Division II national cross country champion -- covered the 8000-meter course in 23:59.60 to win the Nike Race of Champions division.  ACU was third in the division with 83 points, just behind division champion William & Mary (48 points) and Virginia (60 points).

Other schools in ACU's division were Wake Forest, Georgia, Army, Clemson, North Carolina and Duke, all of which finished behind the Wildcats.  ACU had three runners in the top eight with Serge Gasore finishing seventh in 24:24.30 and teammate Philip Birgen finishing right behind in eight at 24:24.70.

But it was Naimadu who was the story of the day as he captured the overall championship, his second in as many races this season.  Running against a Division I field, Naimadu had little trouble coasting to the win.  His only real challenge came from race runner-up Matt Clark of Clemson, who still finished almost 10 seconds behind Naimadu, coming in with a time 24:09.40.  Naimadu's time was the best time recorded in three different races, giving him the overall best time at the meet.

On the women's side, Olha Kryv'yak was the Wildcats' highest finisher in the Nike Race of Champions division, finishing 16th with a 5000-meter time of 17:44.60.  Trina Cox was 24th in 17:59.00, and Adeh Mwamba was 44th in 18:32.80.

Both the ACU men's and women's teams will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 1, when they go to Stillwater, Okla., to run in the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree.