Alabama
Brooks Twilight Classic
Alabama Cross Country Sweeps Brooks Twilight Classic
9/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Alabama men's and women's cross country teams both came away with titles on Saturday night, sweeping the Brooks Twilight Classic hosted by Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. Both races featured a field of 26 teams.
"Both teams really came out on a mission tonight," said head coach Dan Waters. "We ran with a purpose, did a great job of pushing each other, and came away with results that we are expecting to see all season."
The Alabama men turned in an impressive performance, totaling just 37 points to run away with the victory in the four-mile race. The Crimson Tide had three runners finish inside the top 10 and all five scorers crossed the finish line inside the top 20. Central Arkansas placed second with 99 points, while SEC teams Mississippi State (109 points) and Ole Miss (142 points) took third and four, respectively. In the women's 5k race, Alabama saw all of its scorers record a top-10 finish en route to collecting only 29 points. Ole Miss had 61 points in the team standings to finish second, and Mississippi State had 77 points for third.
Making his Crimson Tide debut, junior Antibahs Kosgei breezed to the men's individual title in a time of 19:49.75. He was the only runner to cross the finish line in under 20 minutes. Fellow junior Robbie Farnham-Rose made it a 1-2 finish for Alabama, as he recorded a 20:07.89 for second place. Sophomore Josh Short also turned in a solid performance with a time of 20:22.71 for sixth overall. A pair of juniors rounded out the scoring for the Tide, as Conner Thompson finished 12th (20:30.42) and Evan Prizy placed 16th (20:37.77).
Other members of the squad who ran on Saturday night were senior Eric Sivill (20:48.14), senior Justin Ahalt (20:51.40), sophomore Connor Ferrentino (21:04.82), freshman Chris Buechner (21:06.39), sophomore Andrew Bull (21:15.44), sophomore Garrett Bull (21:27.16), junior Payton Ballard (21:44.45), and junior Jeff Edmondson (23:24.57).
Just as with the men, the women also went 1-2, and it was a newcomer who claimed the individual title. Redshirt freshman Rachael Reddy came across the line in 17:06.26 for the win, while senior Katelyn Greenleaf was right behind her for second in a time of 17:13.69. The remaining scorers for Alabama produced great races as well, all three finishing top 10. Senior Rebecca Stover was the team's third scorer thanks to her time of 17:40.27. Junior Hannah Waggoner (9th) and Sophomore Emily Edwards (10th) crossed within a second of each other, as Waggoner recorded a 17:46.68 and Edwards a 17:47.12.
The depth of the roster was on display after that. The Tide women had four additional runners place 19th or better. Junior Allison Gregg (17:59.30) was 14th, sophomore Veronica Lyle (18:01.56) 15th, sophomore Alison Ringle (18:07.33) 18th, and senior Meropi Panagiotou (18:10.51) 19th. Sophomore Caroline Barlow also clocked a time of 18:44.58 on the night.
"Going 1-2 in both races wasn't surprising, but it was very encouraging," Waters added. "Robbie and Katelyn have been producing consistent times for us for a long time, and it was promising to see Antibahs and Rachael show what they are capable of right away."
The men and women will have three weeks off before traveling to Stillwater, Okla., to run in the Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday, Sept. 25.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaTrack on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
Brooks Twilight Classic
Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015
Memphis, Tenn. (Christian Brothers University)
Men's Team Results (Top 5)
1. Alabama, 37
2. Central Arkansas, 99
3. Mississippi State, 109
4. Ole Miss, 142
5. Harding, 181
Alabama Individual Men's Results (4-mile)
1. Antibahs Kosgei, Jr. 19:49.75
2. Robbie Farnham-Rose, Jr. 20:07.89
6. Josh Short, So. 20:22.71
12. Conner Thompson, Jr. 20:30.42
16. Evan Prizy, Jr. 20:37.77
25. Eric Sivill, Sr. 20:48.14
29. Justin Ahalt, Sr. 20:51.40
43. Connor Ferrentino, So. 21:04.82
44. Chris Buechner, Fr. 21:06.39
53. Andrew Bull, So. 21:15.44
64. Garrett Bull, So. 21:27.16
82. Payton Ballard, Jr. 21:44.45
175. Jeff Edmondson, Jr. 23:24.57
Women's Team Results (Top 5)
1. Alabama, 29
2. Ole Miss, 61
3. Mississippi State, 77
4. Harding, 139
5. Arkansas State, 160
Alabama Individual Women's Results (5k)
1. Rachael Reddy, Fr. 17:06.26
2. Katelyn Greenleaf, Sr. 17:13.69
7. Rebecca Stover, Sr. 17:40.27
9. Hannah Waggoner, Jr. 17:46.68
10. Emily Edwards, So. 17:47.12
14. Allison Gregg, Jr. 17:59.30
15. Veronica Lyle, So. 18:01.56
18. Alison Ringle, So. 18:07.33
19. Meropi Panagiotou, Sr. 18:10.51
33. Caroline Barlow, So. 18:44.58
