Cross Country Brings Home NCAA South Regional Titles

Friday, November 13

Tallahassee, Fla.

7:30 a.m. CT

Alabama

NCAA South Regional Championships

Results

Photo by: Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

11/13/2026 12:00:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country

Results

The Crimson Tide men and women both secured positions at the NCAA Cross Country Championships

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 4/No. 4 men's and women's cross country teams swept both sides of the NCAA South Regional Championships at Apalachee Regional Park on Friday morning, as the the two Crimson Tide teams secured their berths to the NCAA Cross Country National Championships next week in Terre Haute, Indiana. The women were responsible for a superlative 21 points, 53 points better than second-place Florida (74 points) in the 6K race. The Alabama men (48 points) were able to run away from the Gators as well, narrowly besting UF's 54-point outing in the 10K to earn its third consecutive South Region claim.

The women began the Regional meet by placing five within the top seven of the women's 6K race, led by Caren Kiplagat, who extended her winning streak to five consecutive races with another individual victory on Friday. The sophomore standout produced a time of time of 19:20.6 to lead the women's field, becoming the third female runner in program history to claim the South Region crown (Mercy Chelangat, 2021, Doris Lemngole, 2025). Cynthia Jemutai (19:25.6 | 2^nd) and Brenda Tuwei (19:33.3 | 5^th) also provided top five standing to boost the Tide's score.

The men followed the women in their first 10K appearance of the season, as Dennis Kipruto (22:02.9 | 2^nd), Rodgers Plimo (29:13.0 | 6^th), Duncan Gituku (29:20.5 | 7^th) and Ezekiel Pitireng (29:21.9 | 8^th) were all amongst the top ten of the men's pool.

The women's South Regional championship is the program's sixth-ever title, while the men secured their 10^th all-time South Region crown.

Women's 6K Rundown

Alabama saw five runners finish in the top seven of the 6K and was the only program to see its five scoring runners all close the race in the top seven
Along with Kiplagat, Jemutai and Tuwei, the Tide was heavily aided by the placements of Milicent Wafula (19:33.6 | 6^th) and Mildred Rono (19:40.2 | 7^th)
Also competing for the Tide were Sharon Kipchumba (20:58.9 | 48^th) and Celina Coryell (21:00.1 | 50^th)
Alabama's 21 points was the lowest point total in the history of the South Regional Championships, an event that's been held since 1972
The Tide was responsible for five All-Region selections (Kiplagat, Jemutai, Tuwei, Wafula and Rono), marking the second instance Alabama has produced five All-Region honorees (2022)

Men's 10K Rundown

The Crimson Tide men stood as the lone team to produce four runners in the top 10 of the 10K
In addition to Kipruto, Plimo, Gituku and Pitireng, Ethan Locke (30:19.9 | 25^th) was also crucial to the Tide's eventual team victory
Alabama's other entrants included Jackson Hogsed (30:44.0 | 36^th) and Jackson Harris (31:16.6 | 49^th)
The 2026 campaign marked the second consecutive season that Alabama garnered five All-Region picks and is the seventh all-time occurrence

From Head Coach Dan Waters

"I'm very proud of the women in the way that they ran today. Coach Stenuf has done a great job with the women, and they were incredibly focused and took care of business. The men were not ideal in their performance today. We cannot run that way and try to achieve our goals at the end of the season. Long story short, I am not proud of the way the men ran today. I'm not thinking about the sweep, but about our performances and what we need to be successful."

Women's 6K Individual Results

1^st – Caren Kiplagat – 19:20.6
2^nd – Cynthia Jemutai – 19:25.6
5^th – Brenda Tuwei – 19:33.3
6^th – Milicent Wafula – 19:33.6
7^th – Mildred Rono – 19:40.2
48^th – Sharon Kipchumba – 20:58.9
50^th – Celina Coryell – 21:00.1

Men's 10K Individual Results

2^nd – Dennis Kipruto – 29:02.2
6^th – Rodgers Plimo – 29:13.0
7^th – Duncan Gituku – 29:20.5
8^th – Ezekiel Pitireng – 29:21.9
25^th – Ethan Locke – 30:19.9
36^th – Jackson Hogsed – 30:44.0
49^th – Jackson Harris – 31:16.6

Up Next

The Crimson Tide will begin preparations for the 2026 NCAA Cross Country Championships scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Indiana
The start time for the national meet at LaVern Gibson Championship Course at Wabash Valley Family Sports Center is slated for a 9:20 am CT start