Bethel’s Skoog Wins Title and is MSC Runner of the Year

Bethel's Skoog Wins Title and is MSC Runner of the Year

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Bethel's Joseph Skoog won the Mid-South  Cross Country individual title with a time of 23:01.3 finishing 21 seconds faster than the runner-up. With his performance, Skoog was named the MSC Runner of the Year.

Cumberlands (Ky.) captured the 2023 Mid-South Conference Men's Cross Country Team Championship Friday at Phil Moore Park.

The Patriots garnered their 13th title in program history and first since 2008 with 22 points.

Cumberlands' Serhii Shevchenko was named the MSC Freshman Runner of the Year after posting a runner-up finish with a time of 23:22.8. Cumberlands's Gustav Bendsen and Cornelius Kipkogei finished third and fourth with times of 23:34.7 and 23:38.5. Campbellsville's Isaac Kiprop rounds out the top five with a time of 23:44.5.

Cumberlands' Bradley Sowder was named the MSC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year while James Overholser earned Assistant Coach of the Year honors.

Campbellsville finished runner-up with 78 points followed by Lindsey Wilson in third with 87 points. Cumberland and Bethel round out the top five with 94 and 118 points, respectively.

Freed-Hardeman finished sixth with 127 points while Georgetown rounds out the team standings with 206 points.

Cumberlands earns the conference's automatic bid into the NAIA National Championship on November 17 in Vancouver, Washington.

A total of four MSC individual runners earned at-large bids into the National Championship. Skoog, Kiprop, Lindsey Wilson's Justin Stearns and Nolan Foushee all earned the bid to compete.

The top seven runners were named to the First Team All-Mid-South Conference with the next seven runners earning Second Team honors.

First Team:

Second Team: