Alabama
SEC Championships
Chelangat Captures Alabama’s First Individual SEC Cross Country Title Since 1993
10/30/2020 12:59:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide women finish runner-up at the conference meet Friday morning
BATON ROUGE, La. – With the clock reading 19:46.5, Mercy Chelangat crossed the finish line to capture the individual women’s crown at the Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championships. Chelangat’s victory in the 6k Friday morning at the University Club marked just the fourth individual winner in UA cross country history and first since 1993.
Chelangat finished over 12 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Jenna Gearing (19:58.0) of Kentucky, and led from after the first split at 2k to the finish line.
The ?? is yours Mercy.
— Alabama Track & Field (@AlabamaTrack) October 30, 2020
??st women's individual champion since 1993!#RollTide pic.twitter.com/2DZZbvHLce
Roll Tide Roll! Congratulations Mercy and @AlabamaTrack!!
— Alabama Athletics (@UA_Athletics) October 30, 2020
SEC Cross Country Champion! ????
Tune in on the @SECNetwork!
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As a team, the women continued their season of excellence in the Crimson and white with a runner-up result, tallying 57 points to mark its best team finish since 1994. The last time that the UA women have had and individual champion and placed among the top-two squads at the conference championships was in 1993.
Alabama women finished behind Arkansas (41), who collected their eighth consecutive SEC team title, as the Razorback men (35) took home first as well.
Leading the Lineup for the Women
- Alabama put together a well-balanced attack and showed off its depth, earning more women’s First Team All-SEC nods than any other program racing at the meet.
- Chelangat, a two-time All-SEC honoree, posted the program’s top 6k time since 2003 of 19:46.5 in her winning efforts.
- Esther Gitahi picked up her first All-SEC honor at 20:10.5 to place fifth among the 128-runner field.
- After not making the 2019 SEC Championships travel roster, Jami Reed stayed with the front of the field for the entirety of Friday’s race. Reed’s time of 20:11.4 earned her a sixth-place finish and her first all-conference designation.
- Lauren Brackin (24th, 20:49.8) and Amaris Tyynismaa (26th, 20:53.2) rounded out the scorers as the Tide's top five runners all finished within the top-30 overall.
- Megan Patton (36th, 21:15.6), Allison Wilson (38th, 21:18.6), Riley Schelp (66th, 21:50.5), Sophie Spada (71st, 21:56.0), Leahrose Mami (87th, 22:11.9) and Eliza Witherspoon (89th, 22:13.9) also lined up for the UA women.
Leading the Lineup for the Men
- The meet was the first SEC Championships for over half of the men’s squad as they finished tenth as a team in the 8k.
- In his Crimson Tide debut, Eliud Kipsang (24:49.9) paced the men and finished 28th overall to secure a spot on the men’s Freshman All-SEC list.
- Paul Selden was the third finisher on the men’s side (45th, 25:10.8), while Jacob Wiggers (49th, 25:14.8) followed behind.
- Noel Rotich (58th, 25:28.1) and Jack Hawes (84th, 26:04.4) rounded out the Tide’s top five finishers.
- Alex Mielke (86th, 26:07.8), Grady Shiflet (93rd, 26:30.8) and Mateo Barreto (103, 27:22.5) were also in action for NC State on the men's side.
Women’s Results
1. Mercy Chelangat (19:46.5)
5. Esther Gitahi (20:10.5)
6. Jami Reed (20:11.4)
24. Lauren Brackin (20:49.8)
26. Amaris Tyynismaa (20:53.2)
36. Megan Patton (21:15.6)
38. Allison Wilson (21:18.6)
66. Riley Schelp (21:50.5)
71. Sophie Spada (21:56.0)
87. Leahrose Mami (22:11.9)
89. Eliza Witherspoon (22:13.9)
Men’s Results
28. Eliud Kipsang (24:49.9)
45. Paul Selden (25:10.8)
49. Jacob Wiggers (25:14.8)
58. Noel Rotich (25:28.1)
84. Jack Hawes (26:04.4)
86. Alex Mielke (26:07.8)
93. Grady Shiflet (26:30.8)
103. Mateo Barreto (27:22.5)
DNF Rich Saenz
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaTrack on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
