MONTEVALLO, Ala. -- The Auburn University at Montgomery men's cross country team earned its highest team placement at an NCAA Division II regional championship with an eighth-place team finish on a chilly morning in Montevallo, Alabama at the 2023 NCAA South Regionals in a 10K race. 

Once again, the Warhawks saw Basil Koech break another school-record, as he took down the 10K record with a time of 31:00.60. 

THE WARMUP

Finish: 8th out of 16 teams
Event: NCAA South Regionals
Location: Montevallo, Ala. | Montevallo Cross Country Course
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SCORING FIVE

• Koech shattered the school record with a 20th-place finish and was the first Warhawk to cross the finish line and earn All-Region honors. 
• Connor Stoots placed 44th in the race with a time of 32:14.40. 
• Dalton Benefield was the third Warhawk to finish and had a time of 32:32.70 and came in 53rd. 
• Mark Foster paced a time of 32:55.20 and finished 59th. 
• Hayes Colvin wrapped up the scoring five with a time of 33:14.10 and placed 63rd overall.

NOTABLES

• Two weeks removed from racing to Freshman of the Year honors in the GSC, Koech was the first freshman finisher to cover the 10K course at the regional championships. He also earned the program's first NCAA All-Region honor.
• Koech now has the school record in the 5K, the 8K, and the 10K after one season as a Warhawk.
• The Warhawks also ran their fastest team average at an NCAA regional in school history.
• All seven AUM finishers, including Connor Stoots (second), Dalton Benefield (third), Mark Foster (fourth), Hayes Colvin (sixth), Patrick Pigg (eighth), and Sam Lesie (10th) earned a spot on the 10K all-time performance list. 
• Stoots bested his collegiate-best 10K time by more than a minute, and Patrick Pigg turned in his collegiate record in the 10K by more than 35 seconds.

• "This was a big day for us in moving this program forward," head coach Ryan Thompson said. "We are getting closer to our goal of getting people to nationals. Basil capped his freshman campaign with our first All-Region performance in school history and Connor had a big day for us as well. I just can not say enough about our seniors. They have been through so much and I am happy for them to go out this way. They have trusted in me and built this program from the ground up."

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