Alabama Cross Country Heads North for Joe Piane Invitational

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Alabama cross country men and women are set to race in the prestigious Joe Piane Invitational Friday morning in South Bend, Ind. Hosted by Notre Dame, the event will be held on the Burke Golf Course.

The No. 10 ranked Alabama women will race over a 5,000-meter course starting at 9:30 a.m. CT amongst a field that includes four teams in the top 10 led by No. 1 NC State. The No. 25-ranked men will compete over a 5-mile course staring at 10:15 a.m. CT, in a field that includes five teams ranked in the top-30, led by No. 14 Notre Dame.

Friday's meet marks the Crimson Tide's third of the 2022 regular season and the first outside the state of Alabama.

The Rankings

Alabama's women are ranked 10^th nationally and No. 1 in the South Region, while the men are 25^th nationally and No. 1 in the South Region

The Field

The women's "Blue" race includes No. 1 NC State, No. 3 New Mexico, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 10 Alabama and No. 27 Oregon State as well as Florida State, Liberty, Penn State, San Francisco and Toledo which are all receiving votes in the latest poll, along with Boise State, Bradley, Butler, Charlotte, Navy, Purdue, SMU, Southern Utah, UC Santa Barbara and Vanderbilt
The men's "Blue" contest includes No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 22 Montana State, No. 24 Butler, No. 25 Alabama and No. 27 Michigan along with Florida State, NC State and Tennessee which are all receiving votes in the latest national poll, as well as Boise State, Bradley, Cal Poly, Charlotte, Eastern Kentucky, Liberty, Navy, New Mexico, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Southern Utah, and UC Santa Barbara

Last Time Out

Alabama's men and women swept the top of the podium at the North Alabama Showcase for the second meet in a row after winning both meets at the Lion Opener
The Tide men beat second-place Kentucky by 20 points after tallying 74 points
Alabama's men put three finishers in the top five, four in the top 16 and its entire scoring five in the top 50
Victor Kiprop won his second-consecutive Showcase to lead the Tide men, while Hillary Cheruiyot took third and Eliud Kipsang fifth
Brady Grant (16th) and Will Pinson (49th) rounded out Alabama's scoring five
The UA women scored 73 points, edging Kentucky by five points
In her Crimson Tide debut, Hilda Olemomoi led the Tide women with a second-place finish, followed by Elka Machan in ninth, Lilly Walters in 15th, Jami Reed in 19th and Sam McDonnell in 28^th
Kiprop was named the SEC Runner of the Week and Olemomoi eared SEC Freshman of the Week accolades following their performances at the Showcase

Up Next for the Crimson Tide

After starting the season with a trio of road meets, Alabama hosts the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday, October 14

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