Alabama
SEC Cross Country Championships
Alabama’s Vincent Kiprop Wins SEC Men’s Cross Country Title
10/27/2017 11:25:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Tide men finish second for best finish since 2010; women finish seventh
ATHENS, Ga. – Alabama junior Vincent Kiprop led from wire-to-wire en route to claiming the individual men's title at the 2017 SEC Cross Country Championships at the University of Georgia Golf Course Friday.
Kiprop circled the 8,000-meter course 23:15.4 to headline an Alabama sweep of the top three spots as fellow UA juniors Gilbert Kigen (23:18.8) and Alfred Chelanga (23:23.4) finished second and third, respectively, to lead the Tide to a second-place finish in the team standings. The runner-up finish is the first in the top two for Alabama since 2010.
"I'm elated with Vincent's performance today," Alabama head coach Dan Waters said following the race. "This is a really tough course with a lot of hills. To run 23:15 here is just spectacular. We knew he could make an impact when he arrived on campus and he did that today."
Kiprop is the seventh man to win an individual SEC title for UA in cross country and the crown is the 10th individual title for the program. The victory gives the Crimson Tide two men's champions in the last three years. Antibahs Kosgei took home individual honors at the 2015 SEC Cross Country Championships in College Station, Texas.
Alabama also got strong performances from seniors Garrett Bull (25:00.4) and Andrew Bull (25:08.4), who finished 37th and 40th, respectively, to round out the scoring for the Tide.
"Overall, I thought our scoring runners ran a smart race and the 1-2-3 finish is exciting," Waters said. "Vincent, Gilbert and Alfred took the lead as a group and never looked back. The Bulls really came through as well. We knew they were capable of a day like this and they picked a great time to turn it in. I think they all have a lot left in the tank as we move forward."
Arkansas won the men's title with 41 points, followed by Alabama (81), Ole Miss (82), Kentucky (110) and Tennessee (125).
The Crimson Tide women posted a seventh-place finish for their fifth-straight top-seven finish at the SEC Championships. Sophomore McKenzie Yanek was the Tide's lead runner, finishing 14th in 20:52.1. Fellow sophomores Elisabeth Danis (21:32.3) and Rebecca Buteau (21:41.0) finished 32nd and 38th, respectively.
Senior Caroline Barlow finished 44th in 21:48.0 and junior Nicole Gardner finished 49th in 21:54.2 to round out the scoring for Alabama.
"Our women's team really got after it today," Waters said. "They ran hard and they really battled. We finished seventh but we were only seven points out of fourth place in a highly-competitive conference. There are a lot of young runners in this group so that's exciting for the future."
Arkansas (35 points) won the women's title, followed by Georgia (88), Ole Miss (103), Missouri (164), Mississippi State (167), Kentucky (170) and the Tide (171).
The Alabama men's and women's teams return to action on Nov. 10 when they host the 2017 NCAA South Regional on Nov. 10 at the Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa.
SEC Cross Country Championships
Friday, Oct. 27, 2017
University of Georgia Golf Course
Athens, Ga.
Host: University of Georgia
Men's 8,000-Meter Team Results
1. Arkansas (41)
2. ALABAMA (81)
3. Ole Miss (82)
4. Kentucky (110)
5. Tennessee (125)
Alabama Individual Men's Results
1. Vincent Kiprop, Jr., 23:15.4
2. Gilbert Kigen, Jr., 23:18.9
3. Alfred Chelanga, Jr., 23:23.4
37. Garrett Bull, Sr., 25:00.4
40. Andrew Bull, Sr., 25:08.4
74. Clay Austell, So., 25:47.2
78. Chase Buckelew, Fr., 25:50.2
80. Evan Prizy, Sr., 25:52.1
100. Hayden Blalock, Fr., 26:43.9
DNF. J.P. Brinyark, So.
Women's 6,000 Meters Team Results
1. Arkansas (35)
2. Georgia (88)
3. Ole Miss (103)
4. Missouri (164)
5. Mississippi State (167)
6. Kentucky (170)
7. ALABAMA (171)
Alabama Individual Women's Results
14. McKenzie Yanek, So., 20:52.1
32. Elisabeth Danis, So., 21:32.3
38. Rebecca Buteau, So., 21:41.0
44. Caroline Barlow, Sr., 21:48.0
49. Nicole Gardner, Jr., 21:54.2
78. Jessica Gray, Jr., 22:32.5
81. Shannon Marsh, Fr., 22:34.6
85. Maddie Dearborn, Fr., 22:42.4
91. Sarah Mohan, Jr., 22:49.2
97. Alison Ringle, Sr., 23:03.2
102. Rachael Reddy, Jr., 23:13.7
110. Brianna Koshy, Jr., 23:33.3
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Players Mentioned
