The Florida Gators Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams will begin postseason competition Oct. 30 at the SEC Championships in Columbia, Mo. The fourth-ranked women are seeking their second consecutive team championship, while the ninth-ranked men will also compete for the Gators. Eighteen Florida runners are scheduled to race, including 10 women and eight men.
The women’s 6-kilometer race is scheduled for 11:08 a.m. ET, followed by the men’s 8-kilometer race at 11:45 a.m. ET. The meet will be available on the SEC Network, and live results will also be provided. Both Florida teams will compete in fields that include multiple ranked SEC opponents.
Florida women enter title pursuit
Florida’s fourth-ranked women will race against No. 9 Alabama, No. 11 South Carolina, No. 17 Missouri and No. 27 Arkansas. The Gators are seeking to win their second consecutive SEC team championship. Judy Chepkoech is scheduled to make her third consecutive race appearance of the season.
Chepkoech won the Nuttycombe Invitational and was named the SEC Women’s Runner of the Week for her performance. Desma Chepkoech, Claire Stegall and Maggie McCormick are also scheduled to compete in the women’s 6k. McCormick finished fourth for Florida and 40th overall at Nuttycombe and was named the SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week.
Florida’s women’s participants are Desma Chepkoech, Judy Chepkoech, Keeghan Edwards, Ashley Fitzgerald, Reagan Gilmore, Caroline Jepchirchir, Isobelle Jones, Maggie McCormick, Mary Nesmith and Claire Stegall. The group accounts for 10 of Florida’s 18 scheduled runners. Their race will open the championship schedule for the Gators.
Ninth-ranked men face three ranked opponents
The ninth-ranked Florida men will compete against No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 Arkansas and No. 19 Tennessee. Kelvin Cheruiyot finished sixth overall and first for Florida at the Nuttycombe Invitational, where the Gators finished fifth overall. Cheruiyot was named the SEC Men’s Runner of the Week.
Geofrey Ronoh and Josh Ruiz joined Cheruiyot as Florida’s top three finishers at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Florida’s men’s participants are Oussama Allaoui, Kelvin Cheruiyot, Mohammed El Moussalit, Jonathan Leon, Eliud Muchiri, Geofrey Ronoh, Josh Ruiz and Ian Sanchez Lopez. The group accounts for the eight Florida men scheduled to race in Columbia.
SEC Championships schedule
The SEC Championships are scheduled for Oct. 30 in Columbia, Mo. The women’s race will begin at 11:08 a.m. ET, with the men’s race following at 11:45 a.m. ET. The SEC Network will carry the meet, and live results will be available through the championship’s live-results page.
FSB Take
Florida enters the meet with its women’s team positioned fourth nationally and pursuing a second consecutive SEC championship. Judy Chepkoech’s return follows her Nuttycombe victory, while Maggie McCormick brings conference freshman-of-the-week recognition into the women’s race. On the men’s side, Kelvin Cheruiyot’s sixth-place Nuttycombe finish gives Florida a proven recent top finisher as the ninth-ranked Gators face three ranked opponents.
Source: Original report