# SEC Evening Report: Alabama Sweeps Cross Country Titles as Florida-Georgia Weekend Arrives **Published:** 2026-10-30 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield **Category:** daily-roundup — **Type:** daily-roundup **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-evening-report-alabama-sweeps-cross-country-titles-as-florida-georgia-weekend-arrives **Teams:** [Alabama](https://secscouts.com/alabama/), [Arkansas](https://secscouts.com/arkansas/), [Auburn](https://secscouts.com/auburn/), [LSU](https://secscouts.com/lsu/), [Miss State](https://secscouts.com/mississippi-state/), [Missouri](https://secscouts.com/missouri/), [Ole Miss](https://secscouts.com/ole-miss/), [South Carolina](https://secscouts.com/south-carolina/) --- ## LEAD STORY: Crimson Tide Doubles Up at SEC Cross Country Championships Alabama left Columbia, Missouri, with both trophies Friday morning, sweeping the men's and women's team titles at the 2026 SEC Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course. The Crimson Tide women captured the team crown with 48 points, while the Alabama men dominated their 8,000-meter race with a winning score of 37 — well clear of runner-up Arkansas (76) and third-place Florida (82). The host Missouri Tigers made the home dirt count, with both squads surging to fourth-place finishes. Sophomore Monica Wanjiku led the Mizzou women with a seventh-place finish in a personal-best 19:05.2 — nearly a full minute faster than her time at last year's conference meet — earning All-SEC First Team honors for the second straight season. "The moment you feel that pain, that's when the race is starting," Wanjiku said. "So, you have to keep on pushing." On the men's side, freshman Jean Kipchumba finished eighth in a personal-best 22:32.2, becoming the first runner in program history to claim All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman Team honors in the same season. Mizzou's pack-running approach — all five scorers inside the top 45 — held off Tennessee (148) and Ole Miss (187). The individual story of the morning belonged to Kelvin Cheruiyot, who won his second consecutive SEC individual title with a course-record 22:03.1, powering his team to its highest SEC men's finish since 2013 while its women placed second, according to the school's athletics site. Oklahoma's women took seventh behind freshman Domtila Cheruto, whose 13th-place run earned All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman Team honors. Texas finished 12th on the men's side and 16th in the women's race. Next up for the field: NCAA regional championships, with Missouri headed to the Midwest Regional on Nov. 13 in Ames, Iowa. ## QUICK HITS - **Swimming and diving:** The nation's No. 2 women's swimming and diving team rolled past No. 20 South Carolina, 223-77, on Friday, with Okaro, Boardman and Coe each claiming a pair of individual victories, per the school's athletics site. - **Women's basketball:** Texas center Cunningham, a 38-game starter during the 2025-26 season for the No. 6 Longhorns, was named to the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year watch list. - **Women's tennis:** Alabama wrapped up day one of the Roberta Alison Fall Classic in Tuscaloosa with four wins — one in doubles and three in singles. - **Men's golf:** Mississippi State closes its fall season this weekend at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational in Loxley, Alabama, a two-day event hosted by South Alabama at Steelwood Country Club. - **Baseball:** LSU meets Samford in a pair of fall exhibition games at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Mississippi, as part of the Hancock Whitney Coast Classic — first pitch Saturday at 3 p.m. CT and Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. ## PORTAL WATCH A quiet 12 hours on the transfer front — no new SEC portal entries or commitments to report. With rivalry weekend taking center stage, expect movement to stay minimal until the weekend's results shake out. ## RECRUITING BUZZ No new commitments landed in the last 12 hours. The recruiting conversation this weekend runs through the stands in Jacksonville and across SEC campuses hosting visitors for a loaded Saturday slate. ## GAMES TO WATCH Five SEC matchups headline the upcoming slate (broadcast details TBD): - **Florida at Georgia** — The marquee game of the weekend. ESPN's coverage has been wall-to-wall, with Tim Tebow sharing his perspective on the rivalry's significance from his playing days and breaking down Saturday's keys to success, while Matt Barrie joined The Paul Finebaum Show to frame the matchup against the backdrop of college football's constantly shifting landscape. Georgia released its Football Game Trailer, presented by Piedmont Healthcare, to set the stage. - **Missouri at Arkansas** — The Tigers hit the road fresh off a strong showing hosting the SEC cross country meet in Columbia. - **Auburn at Ole Miss** — A cross-division clash in Oxford. - **South Carolina at Oklahoma** — The Gamecocks travel to Norman. - **Mississippi State at Texas** — The Bulldogs visit Austin to close out the slate. --- *Original article: [SEC Evening Report: Alabama Sweeps Cross Country Titles as Florida-Georgia Weekend Arrives](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-evening-report-alabama-sweeps-cross-country-titles-as-florida-georgia-weekend-arrives) — SEC Scouts*