No. 26 Alabama Men’s Cross Country Heads to Nationals for 2019 Season Finale

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 26 Alabama men's cross country team will race against the nation's best in the NCAA Cross Country Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 23.

The starting gun for the men's championship 10K is slated to go off at 11:15 a.m. CT. Saturday's race will be available for livestream via FloTrack membership, beginning at 10:00 a.m. CT and will run until the conclusion of the awards ceremony. Admission for the NCAA Championships is $10 per person and is cash only.

Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in each the men's and women's championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large. Alabama was selected as an at-large team to compete in the championship after finishing third at the NCAA South Regional.

Alabama at the NCAA Championships

UA has recorded 14 top-25 team finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, including three consecutive top-10 finishes in 2007 (sixth), 2008 (10th) and 2009 (third).
The closest the men's cross country team came to capturing a team championship occurred in 2009, when the team placed third in Terre Haute, Ind.
The last time Alabama competed as a team at nationals, in 2017, the Crimson Tide men finished 14^th.
Individually, German Beltran placed third in 1989, marking Alabama's highest individual finisher.
Thirteen Crimson Tide runners have earned All-America honors, including German Beltran (1989), Faizal Emamaullee (1995), Tim Broe (1996, 1999), Chris Mutai (1999), David Kimani (2000, 2002), Augustus Maiyo (2007), Emmanuel Bor (2009), Tyson David (2009), Moses, Kiptoo (2009), Julius Bor (2010), Alfred Chelanga (2017, 2018), Gilbert Kigen (2017) and Vincent Kiprop (2017).

Leading the Lineup for the Men

Competing this Friday are graduates Gilbert Kigen and Vincent Kiprop, seniors J.P. Brinyark and Elliott Miller, junior Elliot Gindi, and freshmen Noel Rotich and Jacob Wiggers for the men.
SEC Runner of the Year, Kiprop, has notched two first places finishes and a runner-up finish this season. He crossed the finish line first at Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational (Oct. 4) and the SEC Championships (Nov. 1) while following right behind teammate Kigen at the NCAA South Regional (Nov. 15).
Kigen claimed his second South Region Runner of the Year crown after setting a new course 10K record (29:49.5) at the NCAA South Regionals.
Noel Rotich has consistently been the Tide's third finisher this season, claiming a pair of top-two finishes, earning him All-SEC and All-Region honors.
Last time out, Alabama put all five of its scorers in the top-50. Kigen claimed the individual title, while Kiprop finished runner-up and freshman Noel Rotich placed sixth. Senior J.P. Brinyark and junior Elliot Gindi placed 43rd and 47th, respectively.

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