Alabama
SEC Championships
Kiprop Wins SEC Title, Alabama Men Finish Runner-Up SEC Championships
11/1/2019 11:05:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Crimson Tide men finish second while women finish fifth at the conference meet
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Alabama graduate student Vincent Kiprop led from wire-to-wire en route to claiming his second individual men's title at the Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championships at the at the University of Kentucky on Friday morning.
Way to go Vincent! #RollTide ?? https://t.co/roRMafYkie
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) November 1, 2019
As a team, the Crimson Tide men finished runner-up behind No. 11 Ole Miss, who won their second consecutive SEC team title. Alabama had three runners finish in the top-10 individually. Meanwhile, the women finished fifth, marking the first top-five team finish since 2015.
Men's Team Finish ??nd!#RollTide pic.twitter.com/pjpkjEeve3
— Alabama Track & Field (@AlabamaTrack) November 1, 2019
Leading the Lineup for the Men
- Kiprop circled the 8K course at 22:51.6 to headline an Alabama sweep of the top two spots as fellow UA graduate student Gilbert Kigen (22:55.4) finished second respectively, to lead the Tide to a second-place finish in the team standings. The runner-up finish is the second in the top two for Alabama in the last three seasons.
- The Kericho, Kenya, native, Kiprop, claimed his second individual SEC crown, keeping him as the seventh man to win an individual SEC title for Alabama in cross country.
- Kiprop and Kigen's finish marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that Alabama has landed at least one runner in the top three in the men's cross country championships. Antibahs Kosgei led the assault claiming the 2015 SEC title, then Kiprop, Kigen and Alfred Chelanga finished 1-2-3, respectively, at the 2017 meet, while last year, Chelanga finished second in the conference.
- Freshman Noel Rotich recorded his second top-15 performance of the season, finishing in 10th place at 23:21.3 for All-SEC distinctions on the Second-Team and All-Freshman honors.
- Alabama also got strong performances from seniors J.P. Brinyark (24:06.5) and Elliott Miller (24:16.7), who finished 37th and 45th, respectively, to round out the scoring for the Tide.
WHAT A FINISH.
— Alabama Track & Field (@AlabamaTrack) November 1, 2019
?? Alabama Team
?? @vincentkiprop0
?? @Kigen11Gilbert #RollTide pic.twitter.com/pmajWNQfPc
Coaches Corner
"Proud of Vincent and Gilbert, they ran really tough," head coach Dan Waters said. "Noel did as well, finishing in the top-10 is outstanding for him as a freshman. To secure us a second-place finish, I am super proud of the way they competed and the way they took on the task to hold down our scoring positions. I could not be prouder."
"The women were outstanding, just so close to being third in the SEC. I think they were third at the 5k with a little over 1,000 meters to go. They slid back a little, but it was not because of their lack of effort, they were grinding hard. We have a lot of young freshman that are doing some really good things. Overall, I think it was a really successful day."
Mercy Chelangat leads the Tide with a ??th place individual finish.
— Alabama Track & Field (@AlabamaTrack) November 1, 2019
As a team, Alabama finishes 5??th. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/M847SOd3jY
Leading the Lineup for the Women
- Sophomore Mercy Chelangat earned her first All-SEC honor with a Second-Team finish to pace the Crimson Tide women, finishing 10th overall at a PR time of 20:38.1 in the 6K.
- Chelangat was one of three Alabama women to finish within the top-30, followed by senior Rebecca Buteau (22nd, 20:52.9) and freshman Allison Wilson (26th, 20:54.9).
- Wilson was the second freshman to cross the finish line, earning All-Freshman accolades.
- After Wilson, seniors Alexa Cruz (58th, 21:36.0) and Haley Wright (65th, 21:44.5 60) rounded out the scorers for the women.
Men's 8K Team Results
1. No. 11 Ole Miss – 35
2. (RV) Alabama – 90
3. (RV) Arkansas – 121
4. Kentucky – 124
5. Texas A&M – 141
6. Florida – 160
7. Missouri – 162
8. LSU – 220
9. Tennessee – 221
10. Vanderbilt – 239
11. Georgia – 261
12. Auburn – 269
Men's Individual Results
1. Vincent Kiprop, 22:51.6
2. Gilbert Kigen, 22:55.4
10. Noel Rotich, 23:21.3
37. J.P. Brinyark, 24:06.5
45. Elliott Miller, 24:16.7
46. Elliot Gindi, 24:18.2
67. Jacob Wiggers, 24:42.1
92. Jalen Murray, 25:30.1
103. Nicholas Ceci, 26:01.5
105. Scott Platek, 26:09.9
Women's 6K Team Results
1. No. 1 Arkansas – 21
2. (RV) Ole Miss – 93
3. Missouri – 159
4. Tennessee – 170
5. Alabama – 171
6. Vanderbilt – 176
7. Kentucky – 179
8. Georgia – 184
9. Texas A&M – 189
10. Auburn – 229
11. Florida – 243
12. Mississippi State – 337
13. LSU – 349
14. South Carolina – 367
Women's Individual Results
10. Mercy Chelangat, 20:38.1
22. Rebecca Buteau, 20:52.9
26. Allison Wilson, 20:54.9
58. Alexa Cruz, 21:36.0
65. Haley Wright, 21:44.5
67. Lauren Brackin, 21:50.5
94. Leahrose Mami, 22:25.7
102. Brittany Tolson, 22:32.3
115. Shannon Marsh, 22:57.9
DNF Amaris Tyynismaa
Up Next
Alabama will turn its attention to the national stage at the NCAA South Regional Championships at Florida State, on Friday, Nov. 15 in Tallahassee, Fla.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaTrack on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
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