Saturday, September 19
Terre Haute, IN
W: 8:30 a.m. | M: 9:05 a.m.
Florida Gators
at
John McNichols Invitational
Florida’s Strong Start Continues; Men Outdo Multiple Ranked Teams at John McNicholas Invitational
Saturday, September 19, 2026 | Cross Country
Gator men finished second overall (119 points) and the Gator women finished fifth (156 points)
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Florida Gators Cross Country team continued is regular season on Saturday morning at the John McNichols Invitational as the men earned a second place finish, topping multiple teams ranked above them in the USTFCCCA poll, after the Women kicked off the day with a fifth place team finish. Kelvin Cheruiyot captured the individual title with a time of 23:20.7 in his season debut.
WOMEN
The women kicked the day off at 8:30 am and were led by Judy Chepkoech and Desma Chepkoech. Judy Chepkoech finished third with a time 19:30.8 and rose three places after crossing the 2k checkpoint in sixth. Desma Chepkoech finished shortly behind in fifth with a time of 19:53.5 and climbed two places from the 2k checkpoint.
Isobelle Jones finished next for the Gators with a time of 20:49.0, good for 31st. The Gators scoring was rounded out by Maggie McCormick (45th) and Keeghan Edwards (76th), as Jazlyn Forbes, Mary Nesmith, and Ashley Fitzgerald crossed as the Gators sixth, seventh, and eighth finishers respectively. The women combined for 156 points and finished the day at fifth place.
MEN
The men's 2nd place finish, with 119 points, topped multiple teams ranked above them in the USTFCCCA coaches' poll at the John McNichols Invitational. These include, No. 7 Northern Arizona, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 11 Washington State, No. 12 Eastern Kentucky, No. 16 Butler, No, 17 Michigan State, No. 19 Harvard, No. 20 Georgia.
Sophomore Kelvin Cheruiyot led the men today as he captured the individual title with a time of 23:20.7, after climbing from ninth place after 3k. Geofrey Ronoh crossed the line second for the Gators with a time of 23:56.1, good for a 9th place finish. The Gators scoring five was rounded out Josh Ruiz (17th, 24:05.0), Ian Sanchez Lopez (37th, 24:23.0), and Jonathan Leon (54th, 24:31.3), as Riley Novack crossed the line as the Gators sixth finisher.
The Men's first and second place finishes in the first two meets of the season is their best start to a season since they finished first at the UCF Invite and second at the SEC Preview Meet in 2022.
UP NEXT
The Gators will finish the regular season on Oct. 9th at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis
RESULTS
WOMEN
The women kicked the day off at 8:30 am and were led by Judy Chepkoech and Desma Chepkoech. Judy Chepkoech finished third with a time 19:30.8 and rose three places after crossing the 2k checkpoint in sixth. Desma Chepkoech finished shortly behind in fifth with a time of 19:53.5 and climbed two places from the 2k checkpoint.
Isobelle Jones finished next for the Gators with a time of 20:49.0, good for 31st. The Gators scoring was rounded out by Maggie McCormick (45th) and Keeghan Edwards (76th), as Jazlyn Forbes, Mary Nesmith, and Ashley Fitzgerald crossed as the Gators sixth, seventh, and eighth finishers respectively. The women combined for 156 points and finished the day at fifth place.
MEN
The men's 2nd place finish, with 119 points, topped multiple teams ranked above them in the USTFCCCA coaches' poll at the John McNichols Invitational. These include, No. 7 Northern Arizona, No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 11 Washington State, No. 12 Eastern Kentucky, No. 16 Butler, No, 17 Michigan State, No. 19 Harvard, No. 20 Georgia.
Sophomore Kelvin Cheruiyot led the men today as he captured the individual title with a time of 23:20.7, after climbing from ninth place after 3k. Geofrey Ronoh crossed the line second for the Gators with a time of 23:56.1, good for a 9th place finish. The Gators scoring five was rounded out Josh Ruiz (17th, 24:05.0), Ian Sanchez Lopez (37th, 24:23.0), and Jonathan Leon (54th, 24:31.3), as Riley Novack crossed the line as the Gators sixth finisher.
The Men's first and second place finishes in the first two meets of the season is their best start to a season since they finished first at the UCF Invite and second at the SEC Preview Meet in 2022.
UP NEXT
The Gators will finish the regular season on Oct. 9th at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis
RESULTS
| Women – 5th (156 Points) | Men – 2nd (119 Points) | ||||
| Place | Name | Time | Place | Name | Time |
| 3 (3) | Judy Chepkoech | 19:30.8 | 1 (1) | Kelvin Cheruiyot | 23:20.7 |
| 5 (5) | Desma Chepkoech | 19:53.5 | 9 (9) | Geofrey Ronoh | 23:56.1 |
| 31 (31) | Isobelle Jones | 20:49.0 | 17 (17) | Josh Ruiz | 24:05.0 |
| 45 (44) | Maggie McCormick | 21:01.9 | 37 (37) | Ian Sanchez Lopez | 24:23.0 |
| 76 (73) | Keeghan Edwards | 21:33.9 | 55 (55) | Jonathan Leon | 24:31.3 |
| 112 (105) | Jazlyn Forbes | 22:03.5 | 131 (126) | Riley Novack | 25:16.8 |
| 113 (106) | Mary Nesmith | 22:04.6 | |||
| 129 | Ashley Fitzgerald | 22:16.5 | |||
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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Tuesday, September 08
