Bulldogs Earn Highest Regional Finish In Nine Years

Friday, November 14

Huntsville, Ala.

TBA

Mississippi State

NCAA South Region Championship

Bulldogs Earn Highest Regional Finish In Nine Years

November 14, 2025 | Cross Country

By: Jhordyn Stallworth, Assistant Director/Communications

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Mississippi State cross country finished fourth at the South Region Championships, the highest finish since 2016 for the Bulldogs.

"Today was a fantastic day for the ladies and Coach Erinn," said head coach Chris Woods. "They really showed grit, determination, and what a team can do when a group of young ladies pulls together and has a collective goal, and they all attack that goal with the same effort and energy. We have a promising future with that part of the program, and I'm excited to see what the next few years bring. Now, we wait to see if we can get a few individuals to the NCAA Championships in Columbia, Missouri, next weekend."

State will wait to see if they earn an at-large bid for the national championships, to be announced by the NCAA on Saturday.

Both No. 3 Florida and Tennessee earned the automatic qualifying spots for the region. State tied with No. 15 Alabama for points, both earning 125, but the Crimson Tide took the third-place finish based on individual placings.

Nelly Jemeli was the first to cross the line for State, finishing in 10th place at 19:44.16. Her time is the new 6k program record, and she is the third woman in program history to run sub-20 over the distance. Jemeli will wait to see if she earns an individual bid to the NCAA Championships.

Naomi Jepleting was next to cross the line in 16th place, running a personal best of 19:54.34, also surpassing the previous 6k program record. Milicent Kemboi followed closely in 21st place, running a personal best of 20:00.24.

Jemeli, Jepleting and Kemboi all earned All-Region honors by finishing in the top 25 in the field.

Louise Stonham was the fourth finisher for State, crossing the line in 33rd place in 20:16.96 for a new 6k personal best. Gabrielle Boulay rounded out the scorers, crossing the line in 20:33.95 to finish 44th.

Ramat Jimoh and Brooklyn Quanz served as the team's displacers, crossing the line in 68th and 77th, respectively.

For more information on the Mississippi State cross country and track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.