Alabama Cross Country Opens 2022 Regular Season Thursday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's and women's cross country squads are set to open the 2022 regular season Thursday at the Lion Opener in Florence, Ala. The women start at 5 p.m. at McFarland Park and will compete over a 4,000-meter course, while the men's race gets underway at 5:45 p.m., and will cover 5-kilometers.

It marks the first time the Crimson Tide has opened its season in the state of Alabama since 2017, when UA got things rolling at the Struts Season Opener in Oxford, Ala.

In the Preseason Rankings

The Crimson Tide men and women come into the 2022 season as preseason No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference
Nationally, the Crimson Tide women are sixth in The Stride Report's preseason rankings and 12^th according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)
The men are 15^th nationally in The Stride Report's preseason poll and 26^th per USTFCCCA

The 2022 Alabama Cross Country Teams

The women's team features 21 runners, including 10 newcomers, while the men's roster also tallies 21, with eight rookies
The women are led by Mercy Chelangat, who won the NCAA cross country title in 2020-21 and was the NCAA runner-up last season
Chelangat is also the two-time defending SEC cross country champion and won the NCAA 10,000-meter title during 2022 outdoor season
In addition to Chelangat, the women also return cross country All-Americans Amaris Tyynismaa and Flomena Asekol
The Tide men are led by defending SEC champion Eliud Kipsang
The men's roster also includes NCAA All-South Region honorees Victor Kiprop and Hillary Cheruiyot
Chelangat and Kipsang were named the women's and men's SEC Cross Country Runner of the Year last season, while Kiprop was named the SEC Cross Country Freshman of the Year
The Alabama women finished the 2021 season in 15^th place at the NCAA Championships, while the men finished 27^th

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.