Alabama
Memphis Twilight
Alabama Cross Country Season Underway Following Memphis Twilight Classic
9/4/2021 11:20:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide women took fourth while the men finished seventh in the season opener
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Alabama men's and women's cross country teams posted a pair of top-10 finishes at the Memphis Twilight Classic Saturday night to open the 2021 season.
The Alabama women, led by Megan Patton's ninth-place finish, tallied 122 points to take fourth place out of 22 teams. The Crimson Tide put four women in the top 25 over the 5-kilometer course, including Patton, Leahrose Mami (12th), Kerri Walsh (17th) and Riley Schelp (25th).
Rich Saenz took 16th place to lead the Crimson Tide men to a seventh-place finish out of 20 teams, after totaling 175 points. Overall, Alabama put four in the top 50 of the men's four-mile race, including Saenz, Scott Platek (39th) along with rookies Gavin Saacke (36th) and Collin Jones (48th).
Head Coach Dan Waters Said
"The whole point this weekend was to get out on the course, compete as a team and get the season started and we did that tonight. I'm proud Megan and Rich for leading the way for us and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone who competed here in Memphis using this race to make themselves better. From here, we'll start adding folks into our lineup over the next month as we continue building toward the championships season."
Up Next for the Crimson Tide
- The Crimson Tide returns to action on September 17 at the North Alabama Showcase in Huntsville, Ala.
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.
Women's Team Finishes
1. Ole Miss, 38 pts
2. Middle Tennessee State, 80 pts
3. Lee, 82 pts
4. Alabama, 122 pts
5. Western Kentucky, 166 pts
6. Miss State, 184 pts
7. Memphis, 189 pts
8. Central Arkansas, 195 pts
9. Arkansas Tech, 214 pts
10. UAB, 230 pts
Alabama's Individual Results
9. Megan Patton, 18:04.33
12. Leahrose Mami, 18:19.10
17. Kerri Walsh, 18:27.03
25. Riley Schelp, 18:36.29
62. Lauren Turner, 19:43.45
68. Keaton Morrison, 19:49.12
70. Rebecca Billman, 19:51.46
85. Savannah Noethlich, 20:11.17
Men's Team Finishes
1. Lee, 44 pts
2. Alabama-Huntsville, 68 pts
3. Ole Miss, 93 pts
4. Middle Tennessee State, 107 pts
5. Central Arkansas, 148 pts
6. Memphis, 170 pts
7. Alabama, 175 pts
8. Montevallo, 249 pts
9. Western Kentucky, 251 pts
10. Christian Brothers, 310 pts
Alabama's Individual Results
16. Rich Saenz, 20:09.51
36. Gavin Saacke, 20:38.28
39. Scott Platek, 20:40.49
48. Collin Jones, 20:56.50
54. Brady Barton, 21:02.54
75. Alex Mielke, 21:29.84
Players Mentioned
