Alabama
SEC Championships
Cross Country Baton Rouge Bound for SEC Cross Country Championships
10/29/2020 12:01:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country, Cross Country
Competition begins at 9:05 a.m. CT Friday morning with the women’s 6k, followed by the men's 8k at 10 a.m. CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama men's and women's cross country teams will challenge for the 2020 Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championship title on Friday at the University Club in Baton Rouge, La. The women's 6k race is scheduled to start at 9:05 a.m. CT, followed by the men's 8k at 10 a.m. CT. An awards ceremony will follow the men's race.
Admission to the 2020 SEC Cross Country Championships will be free and all fans in attendance will be required to wear a mask and follow physical distancing protocols. Both the men's and women's races will be broadcasted by the SEC Network.
SEC Showdown
- This marks the fourth time Baton Rouge has served as the site of the SEC Cross Country Championships and the first time since 2006.
- Ole Miss has won the last two SEC men's titles, while Arkansas has won each of the last seven women's crowns.
- Arkansas and Tennessee lead the way with 25 all-time SEC men's cross country championships, while Arkansas has 20 women's titles to lead all teams.
Season Success
- The Alabama women are in the midst of a historic season stretch with back-to-back runner-up team finishes through two meets.
- The Crimson Tide women ranked sixth in the latest FloTrack poll after stringing together a pair of top individual finishes.
- Jami Reed opened the season by leading the Tide to a trio of top-five finishes, as she crossed the finish line victorious in the women's 6k (20:57.5) at the Commodore Classic (Sept. 19).
- A few weeks later, Mercy Chelangat claimed the individual women's 5k title at the Florida State Invitational (Oct. 2) with a time of 16:50.3.
- Jacob Wiggers has been the leading force for the men’s squad, collecting two top-20 finishes.
Leading the Lineup
- The Tide men will run Mateo Barreto, Jack Hawes, Eliud Kipsang, Alex Mielke, Noel Rotich, Rich Saenz, Paul Selden, Grady Shiflet and Jacob Wiggers.
- Running for the UA women will be Lauren Brackin, Mercy Chelangat, Esther Gitahi, Leahrose Mami, Megan Patton, Jami Reed, Riley Schelp, Sophie Spada, Amaris Tyynismaa, Allison Wilson and Eliza Witherspoon.
Tide Tidbits
- Alabama men have not won a SEC title since capturing consecutive seasons 2008-09, while the women will be looking to snag their first conference trophy since 1987.
- Chelangat was named SEC Women's Runner of the Week after claiming her first cross country career individual title by five seconds over teammate Jami Reed at the FSU Invitational.
- Reed was also tabbed SEC Women's Runner of the Week after winning the individual women's 6K title at the Commodore Classic.
- Both Alabama men's and women's cross country were picked to finish third by the conference coaches in the 2020 Southeastern Conference cross country preseason poll.
Look Back at 2019 SEC Championships
- Vincent Kiprop claimed his second SEC individual men's title while Gilbert Kigen finished runner-up, leading the team to a second-place team finish.
- Kiprop and Kigen's finish marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that Alabama 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, then in 2018 Chelanga finished second in the conference.
- Noel Rotich earned All-SEC distinctions on the Second-Team and All-Freshman honors for finishing in 10th.
- The women’s squad finished fifth, marking the first top-five team finish since 2015.
- Mercy Chelangat collected her first All-SEC honor with a Second-Team finish to pace the Crimson Tide women, finishing 10th overall in the 6K.
- Allison Wilson was the second freshman to cross the finish line, earning All-Freshman accolades.
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.
