Alabama Women Second, Men Third in the 2021 Cross Country Coaches Poll
8/26/2021 5:22:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide women received four first-place votes and the men receive one by the SEC’s head coaches
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference released its 2021 Cross Country Coaches Poll Thursday, and the Alabama women are second and the men are third by a vote of the league's head coaches.
The Crimson Tide women tallied 22 points, including four first-place votes, while the men totaled 35 points and one first-place point.
Alabama's women were second last year, led by NCAA and SEC Champion Mercy Chelangat and All-Americans Amaris Tyynismaa and Esther Gitahi, all three of which are back this season.
The Tide men were 10th at last season's SEC Championships, led by Eliud Kipsang who was Freshman All-SEC in cross country and earned All-America honors during both the indoor and outdoor seasons as a rookie. The UA men brought in a strong rookie class to help bolster their distance prospects this season.
Points for the men's poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 basis, while points for the women's poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13 basis. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Alabama opens the 2021 season on Saturday, Sept. 4 at the Memphis Twilight in Memphis, Tenn.
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.
2021 SEC Cross Country Coaches' Preseason Poll
(parenthesis indicate first-place votes)
|
MEN |
|
WOMEN |
||||
|
Rank |
Team |
Points |
Rank |
Team |
Points |
|
|
1 |
Arkansas (11) |
11 |
1 |
Arkansas (10) |
16 |
|
|
2 |
Ole Miss |
23 |
2 |
Alabama (4) |
22 |
|
|
3 |
Alabama (1) |
35 |
3 |
Ole Miss |
39 |
|
|
4 |
Kentucky |
43 |
|
4 |
Kentucky |
48 |
|
5 |
Tennessee |
57 |
|
5 |
Tennessee |
72 |
|
6 |
Missouri |
61 |
|
6 |
LSU |
85 |
|
7 |
Georgia |
70 |
|
7 |
Missouri |
91 |
|
8 |
Florida |
78 |
|
8 |
Florida |
92 |
|
9 |
LSU |
88 |
|
9 |
Vanderbilt |
97 |
|
10 |
Texas A&M |
94 |
|
10 |
Georgia |
121 |
|
T11 |
Auburn |
116 |
|
11 |
Mississippi State |
142 |
|
T11 |
Vanderbilt |
116 |
|
12 |
Auburn |
144 |
|
|
|
13 |
Texas A&M |
146 |
||
|
|
|
14 |
South Carolina |
159 |
||
Players Mentioned
