Alabama cross country athlete Cynthia Jemutai has been named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Women’s Freshman of the Week, according to an announcement from the league office on Tuesday. This is the first time Jemutai has received this weekly conference honor.
Jemutai earned the recognition following her performance at the Crimson Classic, where she finished second in the women’s 6k race with a time of 18:55.4. Her finish was the fastest among Alabama runners and contributed to three University of Alabama athletes placing in the top nine.
Her result helped lead Alabama to a third-place team finish at the event. The team also had another top-three individual performance from Caren Kiplagat, who finished third.
This marks the third week in the current season that an Alabama runner has received weekly honors from the SEC. Earlier in September, Caren Kiplagat was named USTFCCCA Women’s National Athlete of the Week on September 15 and SEC Women’s Runner of the Week on September 16, while Dismus Lokira earned SEC Men’s Runner of the Week honors on both September 16 and September 30.
“First-career conference weekly honor Finished second in the 6k race at the Crimson Classic to lead all UA runners Propelled Alabama to a third-place finish in the team standings, highlighted by a pair of top-three individual finishes (Jemutai – second, Caren Kiplagat – third)”
###
