Koyiaki Nipped in Photo Finish as Cougars Finish Second at Regional

Wingate, NC - Columbus State's Meshack Koyiaki entered the 2009 NCAA Southeast Cross-Country Regional having won every meet he had started in 2009. He very nearly kept that perfect record in-tact on Saturday. 

Koyiaki and reigning Southeast Champion Oscar Ogwaro of Queens reached the finish line at exactly the same time and the winner was determined in a photo finish. Koyiaki misunderstood the rules and thrust his legs across the finish line, but Ogwaro stretched his upper torso at the line and was declared the winner. Both runners were credited with a time of 31:14, a full 20 seconds ahead of Futsum Mebrahtu of Queens.

 
Nicholas Kering gave CSU two runners in the top four, finishing fourth at 31:43. Nathan Prickett was the next finisher for CSU in 19th place (18 points) at 33:44, followed by John Neill in 23rd (22 points) at 33:55 and Stewart Helton in 25th (24 points) at 33:57. Those five runners compiled the team score for CSU. Andrew Henderson (48, 35:10) and David Marley (49, 35:14) rounded out the CSU team.

Queens, who finished sixth in the nation in 2008 and entered Saturday's meet as the top seed, easily claimed the team title with 28 points, followed by 70 from CSU. Mars Hill was the third and final team to qualify for nationals by finishing in third place with 96 points. Lees-McRae was fourth, and Peach Belt teams Clayton State and UNC Pembroke tied for fifth. 

UNC Pembroke's Pardon Ndhlovu and Clayton State's Fidelis Mutiso each qualified as individuals, giving the PBC good representation in the national field. Both runners qualified as the highest-ranking individuals from non-qualifying teams. 

Koyiaki and Kering represent CSU on the All-Region team and will lead the Cougars into their second-straight Division II National Championships appearance. The meet will be held November 21 in Evansville, Indiana, and will be hosted by the University of Southern Indiana. Related Item: Box Score