Alabama
JSU Struts Season Opener
Alabama Cross Country Opens 2017 Season at Struts Season Opener on Friday
8/30/2017 1:50:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Eight runners set to make their Crimson Tide debut
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's and women's cross country teams open the 2017 season at Jacksonville State's Struts Season Opener on Friday Sept. 1 at Oxford Lake Park in Oxford, Ala. Alabama has entered seven men and eight women in this week's competition. The women will run a 4k race beginning at 6 p.m. (CT) with the men's 5k race to follow at 6:40 p.m. (CT).
Alabama Line-Ups
The Tide men will run sophomores Elliott Miller and Oliver Rigg and freshmen Hayden Blalock, Nathan Gamble, Jackson Reed, Paul Selden and Colton Smith. Running for the UA women will be juniors Brianna Koshy and Sarah Mohan, sophomores Caroline Brooks, Brittany Tolson and Haley Wright and freshmen Ameena Benselloum, Margot Dooley and Shannon Marsh.
In the Rankings
The Alabama men's and women's cross country teams both earned No. 4 rankings in their respective U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South preseason regional rankings released Aug. 28. The Crimson Tide men also received votes in the USTFCCCA preseason national poll.
Youth Movement
Eight Tide runners will make their collegiate debut in the Struts Season Opener on Friday - Hayden Blalock, Nathan Gamble, Jackson Reed, Paul Selden and Colton Smith on the men's side and Ameena Benselloum, Margot Dooley and Shannon Marsh for the women. In all, Alabama will roster 21 freshmen or redshirt freshmen - nine men and 12 women - in 2017.
Head Coach Dan Waters' Outlook
"We have several runners who will get their first taste of college competition this weekend so this will be a good test for them. I feel good about the strides we made in the offseason and now it's time to see how we perform out on the course. With only four regular season meets before the SEC Championships, we have to make every one of these opportunities count."
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Players Mentioned
