Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s cross country kicks off its season this Friday in Nashville at the Belmont Opener.
The men’s 5-kilometer race will begin around 5:45pm at Percy Warner Park on the Vaughn’s Creek Cross Country Course.
The race will consist of 11 teams, four of those teams being in the Nashville area—Lipscomb, Vanderbilt, and Ohio Valley Conference foes Belmont and Tennessee State.
Last time the Governors were at the Belmont Opener, in 2017, Nash Young posted a career best with a fourth-place finish and four Govs finished in the top 30.
Under new head coach Valerie Brown, the Governors will lean on their upperclassmen heavy for this season. Only Wesley Gray left the program last year after graduating, but this Governor team is ready to grab the mantle and move forward.
For the 2019 season, six of the nine members of the team will be juniors or seniors. Hezron Kiptoo will lead the way for this experienced team after finishing in the team’s top three performers in every race and posting the fastest time for the Govs at the NCAA South regionals two years ago. Young looks for another strong start in Nashville, while Andrew Abel and Joseph Redman round out a deep senior class looking to put up many points for the Govs.
Thomas Porter will lead the way for the junior class as he continues to make a name for himself in the OVC and with an eye toward another NCAA Regionals appearance. Daniel Davis will pair with Porter for the junior class as Davis looks to continue his strong runs at the end of 2018 to this year.
Elliot Reed, Ryan Martin and William Norris will be the newcomers for the Governors this season as they kick off the year at Percy Warner Park.
