Temple University Athletics
Highlighting Our Senior Owls
9.10.26 | Men's Cross Country
PHILADELPHIA - This past weekend, the Mens Cross Country team placed first in the Temple Owl Invitational. The mens team held all top five positions, with seniors Naasir Bakari placing forth and Noé Sengel placing first overall. At the conclusion of the race three seniors were honored for their academic and athletic contributions to the program, here are some highlights from the ceremony.
Naasir Bakari, from Montgomery Village Maryland, will be graduating this spring with a degree in Psychology. He most recently competed in the Temple Owl Invitational running a 21:05 in the Mens 4 mile. He placed 4th, and helped contribute to Temple placing 1st overall in the mens race.
Coaches Remarks: "Naasir is a quiet and hard-working individual. This young man finds no obstacle to challenging and never backs down. We wish there was more time for us to have him on our team, but we are extremely excited for what the future has in store for this young man. His potential is unlimited and he is going to do some phenomenal things!"
Simeon Shappell-Smith, from West Chester PA, will be graduating with two degrees in finance and risk management Insurance. This is Simeon's fourth year with the program. In 2023, He competed in the Temple Owl Invitational placing 20th with a 6k time of 20:47.8. During his sophomore year, he ran in the Main Line Invitational and The Paul Short Run. Last year, the PA native took home first place at The Temple Owl Invitational with a 4 Mile Time of 20.08.3, Helping Temple win the meet for the second year in a row. He was honored on the 2023-2024 American Conference All-Academic team.
Coaches Remarks: "Simeon is the last athlete I will be coaching who was here when i first started. I have had the honor and privilege of watching this young man grow and step up into a leader that our young men look to. He will be missed greatly!"
Noé Sengel, from Haut-Rhin France, will be graduating this spring with a masters in computer science. His first race in the cherry & white was last year at the Temple Owl Invitational and he finished second with a 4 mile time of 20:28.6. He then placed 87th in the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational with a 5.2 mile time of 27:15.6. He set his personal best 8k time at the American Conference Championships with a time of 25:02.5 putting him in 42nd place. He wrapped up last season at the mid-atlantic regional championships finishing the 10k race with a time of 31:33.7, placing him in 78th out of nearly 200 athletes. His most recent contribution to the program came this past weekend when he came in first in the mens 4 mile with a time of 20:48.2. His time helped propel the mens team into first place at the 2026 Temple Owl Invitational.
Coach Remarks: "Noé has been a phenomenal addition to this team. It took us almost 5 months to get his eligibility cleared by the NCAA so he could run this fall. We are extremely excited for his last year and our captain is going to lead this team to great things."
Naasir Bakari, from Montgomery Village Maryland, will be graduating this spring with a degree in Psychology. He most recently competed in the Temple Owl Invitational running a 21:05 in the Mens 4 mile. He placed 4th, and helped contribute to Temple placing 1st overall in the mens race.
Coaches Remarks: "Naasir is a quiet and hard-working individual. This young man finds no obstacle to challenging and never backs down. We wish there was more time for us to have him on our team, but we are extremely excited for what the future has in store for this young man. His potential is unlimited and he is going to do some phenomenal things!"
Simeon Shappell-Smith, from West Chester PA, will be graduating with two degrees in finance and risk management Insurance. This is Simeon's fourth year with the program. In 2023, He competed in the Temple Owl Invitational placing 20th with a 6k time of 20:47.8. During his sophomore year, he ran in the Main Line Invitational and The Paul Short Run. Last year, the PA native took home first place at The Temple Owl Invitational with a 4 Mile Time of 20.08.3, Helping Temple win the meet for the second year in a row. He was honored on the 2023-2024 American Conference All-Academic team.
Coaches Remarks: "Simeon is the last athlete I will be coaching who was here when i first started. I have had the honor and privilege of watching this young man grow and step up into a leader that our young men look to. He will be missed greatly!"
Noé Sengel, from Haut-Rhin France, will be graduating this spring with a masters in computer science. His first race in the cherry & white was last year at the Temple Owl Invitational and he finished second with a 4 mile time of 20:28.6. He then placed 87th in the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational with a 5.2 mile time of 27:15.6. He set his personal best 8k time at the American Conference Championships with a time of 25:02.5 putting him in 42nd place. He wrapped up last season at the mid-atlantic regional championships finishing the 10k race with a time of 31:33.7, placing him in 78th out of nearly 200 athletes. His most recent contribution to the program came this past weekend when he came in first in the mens 4 mile with a time of 20:48.2. His time helped propel the mens team into first place at the 2026 Temple Owl Invitational.
Coach Remarks: "Noé has been a phenomenal addition to this team. It took us almost 5 months to get his eligibility cleared by the NCAA so he could run this fall. We are extremely excited for his last year and our captain is going to lead this team to great things."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
Wednesday, September 16
Wednesday, September 09
Wednesday, September 02
Monday, July 27
