SEC SWEEP! Alabama Wins Men’s and Women's 2022 SEC Cross Country Titles

The Crimson Tide swept the men's and women's titles for the first time in program history.

OXFORD, Miss. — It was a very good morning for Alabama cross country.

For the first time in program history, the Crimson Tide swept the Southeastern Conference team championships Friday at the Ole Miss Golf Course, in Oxford, Miss.

The Alabama women used a dominant 36-point performance to win its first SEC title in 35 years Friday morning, while the men hung tough to score 59 points for the win.

Alabama Head Coach Dan Waters Said:

“We have great student-athletes, coaches and staff, and they all work very hard so we can compete at this level in this conference. Even with all that, it’s so rare that you get days like today, when everything comes together perfectly. We saw two extraordinary but very different races out there. The women came in poised and ready for their moment and they took it. Our men were in a fight from the moment they toed the line and they really dug deep and got us the finishes we had to have. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished and can’t wait to continue this season at regionals.”

The Women’s Title

• Alabama put four runners in the top-seven finishers, including Mercy Chelangat (18:33.65) and Hilda Olemomoi (18:54.11) in second and third, respectively
• Amaris Tyynismaa (19:06.93) finished in fifth while Flomena Asekol (19:25.24) took seventh
• Rounding out the Tide's scoring five, Elka Machan (20:29.12) clinched the UA's victory with a 19th place finish
• Arkansas was second in the women's race with 74 points, followed by Ole Miss in third with 83
• The Alabama women have now won three SEC team titles, with the first two coming back-to-back in 1986 and 1987
• The Crimson Tide's 2022 victory marks the first time since 2012 that Arkansas has not won the SEC team title

The Men’s Title

• With the women's title in the books, Alabama turned right around and did it again, winning the men's titles with 59 points in one of the tightest SEC men's races in conference history
• Alabama beat Tennessee and Arkansas, which tied for second place, by five points with matching 64s, while Ole Miss was fourth with 65 points
• Victor Kiprop (22:38.94) led the UA men by winning the individual race by nearly four seconds
• He was followed by Hillary Cheruiyot (22:51.42) in fourth and Eliud Kipsang (23:18.84) in seventh
• Brady Grant (23:48.63) came in 19th place, leaving it to the fifth and final scoring slot to secure the victory
• Jacob Harris (24:12.76) gutted out a 28th place finish to secure Alabama's second championship trophy of the morning
• Friday's title was the fourth for the UA men’s program after also winning in 1973, 2008 and 2009
• Kiprop's title was the men's 13th individual SEC title and fifth since 2015

2022 SEC Cross Country Championship Results (Oxford, Miss. - Oct. 28, 2022)

Men's Team Results: 1. Alabama (59); 2. Tennessee (64); 3. Arkansas (64); 4. Ole Miss (65); 5. Texas A&M (126); 6. Kentucky (190); 7. Auburn (199); 8. Missouri (219); 9. Georgia (229); 10. Florida (294); 11. LSU (347); 12. Vanderbilt (347).

Women's Team Results: 1. Alabama (36); 2. Arkansas (74); 3. Ole Miss (83); 4. Kentucky (122); 5. Florida (147); 6. Tennessee (159); 7. LSU (201); 8. Texas A&M (208); 9. Vanderbilt (223); 10. Auburn (260); 11. Missouri (276); 12. South Carolina (326); 13. Georgia (395); 14. Mississippi State (414).

Men's Top-10 Finishers 1. Victor Kiprop, Alabama (22:38.94) 2. Dylan Jacobs, Tennessee (22:42.78) 3. Yaseen Abdalla, Tennessee (22:45.57) 4. Hillary Cheruiyot, Alabama (22:51.42) 5. Patrick Kiprop, Arkansas (22:56.20) 6. Anthony Camerieri, Ole Miss (23:07.40) 7. Eliud Kipsang, Alabama (23:18.84) 8. Eric Casarez, Texas A&M (23:21.36) 9. Chris Maxon, Ole Miss (23:22.97) 10. Elias Schreml, Arkansas (23:23.55)

Women's Top-10 Finishers 1. Parker Valby, Florida (18:25.87) 2. Mercy Chelangat, Alabama (18:33.65) 3. Hilda Olemomoi, Alabama (18:54.11) 4. Isabel Van Camp, Arkansas (19:05.50) 5. Amaris Tyynismaa, Alabama (19:06.93) 6. Perri Bockrath, Kentucky (19:19.21) 7. Flomena Asekol, Alabama (19:25.24) 8. Ryann Helmers, Ole Miss (19:37.15) 9. Tori Herman, Kentucky (19:38.37)