Cross Country

Story by Matthew Wilson
Photos by Alaina Denean Clark

The University of Alabama Track and Field and Cross Country team, lead by Head coach Dan Waters and Assistant Coach Adam Tribble, competed against several universities including LSU at the locally hosted Crimson Classic. For the third year in a row, the women’s cross country team captured the Crimson Classic championship. Katelyn Greenleaf, a sophomore who’s competed since age 12, finished second overall in the 5 kilometer race with a time of 17:22:22, while Meropi Panagiotou, a sophomore, finished third with a time of 17:28:32. Rounding out the rest of the scores was freshman, Hannah Waggoner who finished 13th, and sophomores, Rebecca Stover and Kimberley Ficenec who placed 18th and 21st respectively.
In the 8 kilometer course, the men finished seventh overall with 175 points. Matt Airola, a transfer student from California, ran a time of 25:23:43, a season best, and finished 19th overall. Other scorers for the men included a 24th and 39th place finish by sophomores Parker Duel and Gal Walton. Sophomore Eric Sivill placed 48th and freshman Connor Thompson finished 50th.
In the 2013 season, the University of Alabama Women’s Cross Country team has earned three championships. Winning back to back consecutively in the Samford Opener and Iowa Classic, the women’s cross country team has been dominating the competition. At the Iowa Classic, Greenleaf lead the pack across the finish line. Alabama beat out Iowa State with 35 to 44 point lead.
Leading the men’s division of the cross country team, Matt Airola continues to show progress as he adjusts from the transition between universities. The men’s division came in second overall at the Iowa Classic, 25th in the Paul Shore Invitational, and seventh overall at the Crimson Classic beating out LSU and Vanderbilt. Coach Adam Tribble continues to see the team grow and prosper since he came to Alabama.

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