Alabama
NCAA Championships
Alabama Women Ready for Monday’s NCAA Cross Country Championships
3/14/2021 3:34:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide women are making their first team appearance at the championships since 1994
STILLWATER, Okla. – In a typical year, the day after the NCAA Indoor Championships sees The University of Alabama track and field teams traveling back to Tuscaloosa, with thoughts turning to the outdoor season.
This is not a typical year though, and Head Coach Dan Waters and his Crimson Tide women's team followed the NCAA Indoors, where the UA men finished seventh and the women 16th, with a trip to Stillwater, Okla., in preparation for Monday's NCAA Cross Country Championships, which will be held at Oklahoma State University on the OSU Cross Country Course and get underway at 11:45 a.m. CT.
Normally, the cross country season takes place in the fall, and the NCAA Championships are in November. In the year-plus of COVID-19, normal hasn't really come into the equation very often. This season began in the fall and included the Southeastern Conference Championships in October, where Alabama finished second behind Mercy Chelangat's individual win. Then, cross country went on hiatus while the indoor season cranked up. The cross country NCAA Championships were moved to March.
Last Sunday, just before the Tide left for indoor nationals in Fayetteville, Ark., Alabama's women were the first team called during the cross country selection show, securing the Tide women's first team bid to the national championships in more than 25 years. Prior to this season, the UA women earned eight national championship berths between 1978-1994, finishing as high as 6th in 1987 and taking 20th in its last appearance in 1994.
Head Coach Dan Waters Said
"We're super excited for Monday. We looked really good in the fall, especially at SECs and I think our distance group has just gotten better through indoors. Going back and forth between track and cross country is definitely a strange experience, but we've handled it really well and we're ready to put all our hard work out on the course. This group is made up of a bunch of tough competitors and I can't wait to see them in action again. We're so thankful to everyone at the NCAA and Oklahoma State for making this possible. The course looks amazing and we're pumped to get out there and race."
Strong Season for the Alabama Women
- The Crimson Tide championship contingent includes Mercy Chelangat, Esther Gitahi, Jami Reed, Lauren Brackin, Megan Patton, Riley Schelp, Sophie Spada, Amaris Tyynismaa, Eliza Witherspoon, Leahrose Mami and Allison Wilson
- Alabama finished second at the Southeastern Conference Championships in October, the program's best finish since 1994
- Chelangat won the individual SEC crown with a time of 19:46.5, the fourth in UA history and first since 1993
- Chelangat, Gitahi and Reed all finished in the top six at the SEC Championships and all three earned All-SEC honors
- All five of UA's scorers finished in the top-30 at SECs
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Players Mentioned
