PEORIA, Ill. — Jorge Ruiz had been close several times. Friday, he finally broke the Murray State record for fastest time in a men’s cross country event.
Ruiz finally turned the trick with a strong 58th-place effort in the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Illinois. Ruiz broke Murray State’s long-standing 8,000 meter record with a time of 24:27.3. The previous record has been standing for 40 years and was made by Gary Ribbons at the Washington Invite in 1982.
Murray State finished 30th overall as a team.
Second for the Racers was Vicente Correia, who posted a top-three all-time performance of his own with a time of 25:14.0. Third for the Racers was Joey Santoro, who finished with a time of 25:57.1, while Jarod Willis was the fourth Racer finisher in a time of 26:20.5. Benjamin Hall completed the Racers’ top five with a time of 26:23.2.
“Obviously, super proud of Jorge for breaking a school record that has stood for a very long time,” said Murray State Head Cross Country Coach Jordan Johnston. “The rest of the team fed off his performance and we had three guys under 26:00, which is a great accomplishment.”
Meanwhile, Ruth Kimutai moved into the Murray State women’s top-10 with a time of 22:15.8. Kimutai led the Racers with a 131th-place finish with a time of 22:15.8 that is sixth fastest in Murray State women’s history.
Murray State’s women placed 33rd overall.
“Ruth moved onto our top ten list for the 6K, which is great to see at her age,” Johnston said.
Second for the Racers was Amirr Evans, who finished the race in 23:14.8. Jocelyn Host was third for the Racers with a time of 23:18.8, while Samantha Tucci was fourth in a time of 23:35.6 and Allison Wood finished fifth in a time of 23:51.9.
“The group overall had numerous personal records of over 10 seconds,” Johnston said.
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