HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Alabama cross country men’s team won the North Alabama Showcase with an impressive performance after sweeping the top-three individual spots on Friday. The women’s team title went to Ole Miss which delivered a strong performance on the day as well.
Alabama Dominates Men’s Race
Alabama’s men dominated the men’s race at the John Hunt Running Park Friday morning, scoring 25 points for the victory.
Victor Kiprop picked up the individual win in his Crimson Tide debut, cross the line with a 23:20.85 over the 8-kilometer course. He was followed closely by Eliud Kipsang in second with 23:43.23 and Hillary Cheruiyot in third with 23:44.97.
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Jacob Wiggers took seventh and Carson Burian rounded out Alabama’s scoring five with a 12th place finish. In addition to Kiprop, it was Cheruiyot’s and Burian’s first race wearing the crimson and white for the Tide.
Alabama easily defeated Lipscomb (74 pts), South Alabama (116 pts), No. 16 Ole Miss (122 pts), and Georgia (146 pts) in the team title race.
“We did a good job out on the course today. Our men came away with the win and that’s always a good thing,” head coach Dan Waters said. “It was the first race for several of our rookies and they did a super job of getting out there and racing in a new environment.
“It was also great to race on a course that we’ll see later this season when regionals roll around in November. After our first two meets of the season, we’re looking to keep moving forward and getting better week-by-week.”
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On the women’s side, No. 14 Ole Miss won the team crown with 20 points, beating Lipscomb (90), Alabama (126), Kennesaw State (155), and Samford (160).
The Rebel women were close to perfect on the day, placing all five scorers within the top seven spots, while No. 7 Alabama ran without a number of its top runners.
Leading that charge for Ole Miss was Skylar Boogerd, who opened her junior campaign with a 16:28.01 winning performance in the 5K race.
“Our main goal today was to come out, run hard as a group, and set the tone for this season with our women’s team,” said Ole Miss associate head coach Ryan Vanhoy.
“We’ve been training really well as a group this fall, so it was nice to put the spikes on today and get to see everyone compete together as an early-season checkpoint.”
Crimson Tide rookie Flomena Asekol led the way for the Crimson Tide women, taking second place in the 5K with a time of 16:36.24.
North Alabama Showcase TEAM RESULTS
Men’s 8K Team Scores
- Alabama – 25
- Lipscomb – 74
- South Alabama – 116
- No. 16 Ole Miss – 122
- Georgia – 146
- East Tennessee State – 193
- Augusta – 205
- Tennessee – 208
- Samford – 229
- Kennesaw State – 248
- Mercer – 249
- North Alabama – 261
- Chattanooga – 370
- Tulane – 387
- Jacksonville State – 437
- Wallace State – 497
- Reinhardt – 523
Women’s 5K Team Scores
1. No. 14 Ole Miss – 20
2. Lipscomb – 90
3. #7 Alabama – 126
4. Kennesaw State – 155
5. Samford – 160
6. Georgia – 195
7. Southern Miss – 207
8. Mississippi State – 258
9. Chattanooga – 261
10. Tennessee – 275
11. East Tennessee State – 324
12. Tulane – 343
13. South Alabama – 344
14. North Alabama – 368
15. UAB – 388
16. Georgia State – 407
17. Augusta – 423
18. Jacksonville State – 441
19. Mercer – 497
20. Wallace State – 551
21. Reinhardt – 606
