Alabama
Crimson Classic
Cross Country Defends Home Turf, Sweeps Crimson Classic
10/16/2026 2:00:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Kiplagat and Lokira notched individual titles to lead Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 4/No. 10 men's and women's cross country programs were exceptional on Friday, as both sides of Alabama cross country were victorious at the Crimson Classic at Harry Pritchett Running Park.
Opening the morning, the Crimson Tide men produced the top-six racers in the 8K, punctuated by Dismus Lokira, who earned a first-place standing with a time of 23:05.3, a new course record. Lokira surpassed teammate Dennis Kipruto's previous record time of 23:14.3 set a season ago. Rodgers Plimo (2nd | 23:05.5), Duncan Gituku (3rd | 23:09.1), Kipruto (4th | 23:12.3), Ezekiel Pitireng (5th | 23:14.1) and Bismack Kipchirchir (6th | 23:16.8) were among the Tide's top-six finishers, leading to a perfect 15-point score.
For the women, Caren Kiplagat picked up her third individual win of 2026, as the sophomore clocked a winning time of 18:31.7 in the 6K. Alabama managed four of the top five finishers, including Cynthia Jemutai (2nd | 19:02.2), Mildred Rono (3rd | 19:06.0) and Brenda Tuwei (4th | 19:08.6), as the Tide accrued an impressive 17 points en route to the team win.
Men's 8K Rundown
- Alabama produced seven of the top ten racers in the 8K as well as 10 of the top 20 runners overall
- Lokira's victory stands as his second win of the season, having also secured the individual win at the Southern Showcase on Sept. 18
- Jackson Harris (9th | 24:09.9) earned a top ten standing, while Ethan Locke (13th | 24:19.8), Jackson Hogsed (14th | 24:34.7) and William Scharf (17th | 24:41.0) also placed in the top 20
Women's 6K Rundown
- Along with Kiplagat, Jemutai, Rono and Tuwei, Milicent Wafula (19:34.4) placed seventh to round out Alabama's top-ten finishers
- Meriel Rowland (36th | 21:07.6) Sharon Kipchumba (42nd | 21:16.7) and Celina Coryell (47th | 21:25.0) raced to times among the top 50 of the 184-woman field
From Head Coach Dan Waters
"I want to thank everyone that was a part of this massive undertaking that we take on once a year. We ran some really good athletes today, and we're always preparing for the next race and the end of the season, and this was a big step forward. The SEC's is our next big task, and then regionals and nationals, so this is a prep meet for us to get ready for the toughest conference meet we've ever seen, so it was a big step forward for us on both the men's and women's sides. There was a lot of tactical stuff going on out there, we ran as a team on the men's side, and so did the women, and that's really important when you're trying to vie for championships."
Men's 8K Individual Results
- 1st - Dismus Lokira - 23:05.3
- 2nd - Rodgers Plimo - 23:05.5
- 3rd - Duncan Gituku - 23:09.1
- 4th - Dennis Kipruto - 23:12.3
- 5th - Ezekiel Pitireng - 23:41.1
- 6th - Bismack Kipchirchir - 23:16.8
- 9th - Jackson Harris - 24:09.9
- 13th - Ethan Locke - 24:19.8
- 14th - Jackson Hogsed - 24:34.7
- 17th - William Scharf - 24:41.0
Women's 6K Individual Results
- 1st - Caren Kiplagat - 18:31.7
- 2nd - Cynthia Jemutai - 19:02.2
- 3rd - Mildred Rono - 19:06.0
- 4th - Brenda Tuwei - 19:08.6
- 7th - Milicent Wafula - 19:34.4
- 36th - Meriel Rowland - 21:07.6
- 42nd - Sharon Kipchumba - 21:16.7
- 47th - Celina Coryell - 21:25.0
- 59th - Izzie Sullivan - 21:41.9
- 63rd - Avery Ruesch - 21:47.7
- 68th - Athena Andrecyk - 21:53.7
- 72nd - Autumn Headrick - 21:56.5
- 92nd - Eliana Black - 22:15.7
- 110th - Khushi Deol - 22:31.3
- 135th - Catherine Johnstone - 23:05.4
- 155th - Kayleigh Norris - 23:41.7
Up Next
- The Crimson Tide will begin preparations for the 2026 SEC Cross Country Championships scheduled for Friday, October 30 hosted by the University of Missouri
- The start time for the championship meet at Gans Creek Cross Country Course is slated to begin at 10 a.m. CT
