Alabama
Mississippi College Season Opener
Alabama Cross Country Opens 2018 Season at Mississippi College on Friday
8/30/2018 12:01:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Meet the first of four regular season outings for the Crimson Tide
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2018 season at the Mississippi College Season Opener, Friday, Aug. 31, in Clinton, Miss. The Crimson Tide will travel 18 runners (six men/12 women) for this weekend's meet. The men will run an 8,000-meter race at 5 p.m. CT with the women set to compete in a 5,000-meter race at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Alabama Line-Ups
The Tide men will run juniors Clay Austell, Elliott Miller and Oliver Rigg; sophomores Hayden Blalock and Paul Selden and freshman Payton Ash.
Running for the UA women will be juniors Alexa Cruz, and Brittany Tolson; sophomores Margot Dooley, Ashley Eavenson, Emma Sidman and Eliza Witherspoon and freshmen Rebecca Billman, Lauren Brackin, Leahrose Mami, Savannah Noethlich, Megan Patton and Riley Schelp.
Head Coach Dan Waters' Outlook
"This week will be a great opportunity to give a number of our newcomers their first taste of college competition as well as serve as a good initial test for a handful of our veterans. It's the first step in a long journey and I'm looking forward to seeing what we have."
Alabama No. 1 in Preseason Men's SEC Coaches Poll
Alabama finished No. 1 in the preseason Southeastern Conference Men's Cross Country Coaches' Poll released Aug. 27. The Crimson Tide men received 10 of 12 first-place votes and 12 total points. Arkansas received the remaining two first-place votes to finish second. The Alabama women finished seventh in their preseason poll with 87 points. Arkansas was tabbed as the women's preseason favorite, receiving 13 of 14 first place votes. Runner-up Georgia received the remaining first place vote.
Alabama Men No. 6 in USTFCCA National Rankings
The Alabama men begin the season at No. 6 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason National Coaches' Poll. Defending NCAA champion Northern Arizona opens the season as the nation's No. 1 team. The Lumberjacks received all 11 first-place votes for 330 points. BYU (312) is second, followed by Portland (301), Stanford (292), Iowa State (280) and the Crimson Tide (277). UA was joined by SEC rivals Arkansas (No. 16) and Ole Miss (No. 29) in the poll.
Tide Men No. 1 in Preseason South Region Poll
Alabama finished No. 1 in the preseason USTFCCCA South Region rankings released Aug. 27. Middle Tennessee finished second with Ole Miss, Florida State and Tennessee rounding out the top five. The Crimson Tide women begin the season ranked No. 7 in the South Region. Georgia tops the women's regional rankings, followed by Florida State, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and the Tide.
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Players Mentioned
