Alabama Cross Country Teams Break to Prep for Southeastern Conference Championships
10/19/2016 1:35:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With the regular season complete, the Alabama cross country teams will be off this weekend before traveling to Fayetteville, Ark. for the 2016 Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championships, set for Oct. 28 at the University of Arkansas' Agri Park.
Individually, senior Antibahs Kosgei will be seeking to repeat as the SEC men's individual champion after winning the title a year ago at the 2015 championships in College Station, Texas. With a victory, Kosgei would become just the third repeat champion in Alabama cross country history, joining David Kimani (2000-01-02) and Robert Pette (1959-60).
In the Rankings
The Crimson Tide women moved up to No. 4 and the men remained at No. 5 in their respective U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region rankings released Oct. 18.
Last Time Out
The Alabama women's cross country team captured the team championship at the 2016 Crimson Classic while the men posted a solid seventh place finish at the Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 14. In the women's University Division race, the Tide were led by freshman McKenzie Yanek, who posted a time of 21:00.1 to finish sixth in the first 6,000-meter competition of her collegiate career. In the men's University Division race, Alabama finished seventh despite fielding only five runners due to a flu bug that hit the team this week. Senior Antibahs Kosgei was the top finisher in the University division, completing the 8,000-meter course in a time of 24:14.1.
Kosgei Tops SEC Men's 5K and Four-Mile Lists
Alabama's Antibahs Kosgei has the top 5K time of any SEC men's runner so far this season. Kosgei finished fourth at the Chattanooga Powerade Invitational in a time of 14:57.13. Kosgei also holds the top four-mile time in the conference with his 19:11.13 performance at the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic on Sept. 3. Kosgei is also No. 3 on the five-mile list with a time of 23:53.40, set at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 30.
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.Â
Players Mentioned
