Missouri opens its postseason schedule at the SEC Championships, Friday in Bryan-College Station, Texas. | Abigail Klapatauskas

The Tigers will compete against several nationally ranked rivals in Bryan-College Station, Texas on Friday.

The SEC doesn’t just develop Heisman talent, NBA prospects and gymnastics champions; like its other sports, the conference’s cross country teams are super extra competitive.

The SEC is known for its distance running dominance, and Friday’s conference championship in Bryan-College Station, Texas will prove why.

Missouri’s men’s team roars into the postseason ranked third in the Midwest Region. Earlier this season, Ryder James said their goal is to place within the top five at SECs, which would mark their best finish since taking third in 2021.

Missouri’s race results since September seem to indicate a podium finish is possible, far ahead of the Tigers’ ninth place preseason conference ranking.

The women’s team enters the postseason ranked ninth in the Midwest, led by Rahel Broemmel, the only Tiger on the roster to compete at last year’s national championship (for Arkansas State). The Tigers were predicted to finish 11th in the SEC preseason poll.

The cross country postseason is broken into conference and regional meets. Missouri’s SEC and Midwest Regional opponents are some of the most competitive in the nation. Four of the top 10 women’s teams at last year’s national championship were SEC schools. Three of the top 10 individual men’s finishers were from Oklahoma State, who is No. 1 in the Midwest Region and National Coaches’ Poll. For Missouri to be the best, the Tigers will need to beat the best.

Let’s take a capsule look at Missouri’s top conference competitors:

Men

The Favorite: Arkansas

The Razorbacks are the top threat in the South Central Region and No. 3 in the country. The perennial track powerhouse looks to repeat as SEC cross country champions.

Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 5, 2024; Eugene, OR, USA; Ernest Cheruiyot of Texas Tech and Patrick Kiprop of Arkansas lead the field during the men’s 10,000 meter finals at Hayward Field.

Earlier this season, Arkansas won the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals with ease. The meet featured 19 ranked teams, including the second place Iowa State Cyclones who are, unfortunately for the Tigers, also in the Midwest Region. The Razorbacks are led by three veterans: Patrick Kiprop, Kirami Yego and Yaseen Abdalla. Kiprop, the SEC’s reigning 5,000-meter outdoor champion, placed seventh overall at the 2023 National Championships. The Razorbacks will likely storm out to a swift pace, testing the Tigers’ patience to run their own race in the first 4k.

The Challengers: Alabama

The Crimson Tide is ranked 11th in the nation and first in the South Region. They paced the top of the South Region all year. The Tigers raced within four points of Alabama at the Crimson Classic, but Alabama raced without one of its top three runners, Hillary Cheruiyot. It’s not clear whether he’ll return for the SEC Championships.

If he doesn’t compete, Dennis Kipruto and Victor Kiprop (no relation to Patrick Kiprop) will likely pace the Crimson Tide. Kipruto is a two-time SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week honoree and recorded the SEC’s second-fastest 8k freshman time at the Crimson Classic. If the Razorbacks are a veteran powerhouse, Alabama’s roster is young and sharp. Alabama has the pacing edge with its first three scoring runners, but Missouri may be able to beat the team tactically through their pack attack.

The Tigers’ Closest Fight: Tennessee

Tennessee’s team is basically Missouri in orange jerseys. Missouri tied in point-total with the Volunteers at the Crimson Classic, as both teams placed their five scoring runners in the top 25. Tennessee is led by first-year head coach Justin Duncan while the Tigers are under the leadership of second-year head coach Kyle Levermore. Both starting lines are balanced by racing experience and potential. That said, the Vols have the more decisive victory on their resume, beating the Tigers 163 – 180 points (lower score wins), at Missouri’s Gans Creek Classic earlier this season. It’s a best two out of three story; the finish line will determine who takes it.

Women

The Favorite: Alabama

The USTFCCCA predicted Alabama’s men’s and women’s teams to finish second at SECs in its preseason poll. The Crimson Tide are exceeding expectations; the women rank seventh in the nation, highest amongst SEC teams, and lead the South Region. Alabama is led by sophomore Doris Lemngole, who has three first place finishes in as many meets this fall and is a two-time SEC Women’s Runner of the Week. Lemngole is also a national champion in the 3,000m steeplechase. To add an extra touch of prestige to her resume, Lemngole is the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year after maintaining a 4.0 GPA throughout her training.

Racing poise seems to be contagious across the SEC’s youngest starters. Missouri freshmen Natalie Barnard and Charlotte Cullen will line up beside Alabama’s four scoring freshmen and sophomores who are clocking times that garner national attention.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 18, 2023; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Doris Lemngole of Alabama places second in the women’s race in 19:05.7 during the NCAA cross country championships at Panorama Farms. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Challengers: Florida

Even after losing Parker Valby and Flomena Asekol, the reigning SEC champions are 14th in the nation and third in the South Region. Wisconsin Pre-Nationals debuted Florida’s top returner, Allison Wilson and Alabama-transfer, Hilda Olemomoi. Olemomoi finished second overall and shattered Valby’s course record by over 15 seconds. The next time she competes in Wisconsin, she’ll race for an individual national title. Missouri’s Broemmel must pass the Gators to chase the gator to another top 25 finish.

The Tigers’ Closest Fight: South Carolina

Ranked seventh in the Southeast Region, the Gamecocks are led by sophomore Teresa Cherotich, who finished about 15 seconds ahead of Broemmel in Alabama. Cherotich finished within the top 10 all season. Each meet unlocked a new gear; Cherotich broke 20-second chunks off her PB at every race. As she continues to define her race attack, watch for her to slingshot forward in the company of national competition.

The team matchup may be decided by a stride. Missouri beat South Carolina at the Crimson Classic, avenging their defeat at the 2023 SEC Championships. Missouri and South Carolina’s second and third runners finished within 1.4 seconds of each other. The rival rosters are both incredibly young; only their times will tell which team meets the moment.

Let the rivalry races begin!

The women’s 6k starts at 9:08 a.m., with the men’s 8k following at 9:50 a.m.