IRVING, Texas – The 2023 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship are set to take place on October 28 at Overton’s Lake Kristi in Greenville, North Carolina. The men’s championship 8K is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. (ET)/8:15 a.m. (CT) with the women’s championship 6K to follow at 10 a.m. (ET)/ 9 a.m. (CT). Live coverage of the meet will commence on ESPN+ at 9:10 a.m. (ET)/8:10 a.m. (CT) with Trevor Fulkerson and Hayden Cox on the call for both races.
HERSHENOW LOOKS TO REPEAT AS WOMEN’S CHAMPION; NEW MEN’S CHAMPION WILL BE CROWNED
Tulsa’s redshirt junior Chloe Hershenow will look to become the second repeat champion in American Cross-Country history, joining Wichita State’s Winny Koskei who won three straight from 2018 to 2020. Hershenow took first place last year with a time of 20:50.4 and would later be named The American Runner of the Year.
Last year’s men’s champion, Isaac Akers, completed his final season of collegiate eligibility. The Golden Hurricane will look to earn their fourth straight and seventh overall individual title.
NEW TEAMS LOOK TO MAKE IMPACT
Six new teams will compete in the 2023 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships as UAB, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice and UTSA all joined the conference this season. The Charlotte men’s cross country team will look to continue the success that they had in Conference USA, winning two of the past six championships while placing second in the other four seasons. Two-time C-USA Individual Champion Nick Scudder (2020, 2022) will look to win his first American Individual Championship in his senior season.
On the women’s side, Charlotte and Rice will try to unseat Tulsa as the champions. The 49ers won the 2022 C-USA Championship, while finishing second in 2020 and 2021. The Owls finished in third place in 2021 and 2022. Charlotte took five of the top eight spots at the 2022 C-USA Championship.
TULSA IN SEARCH OF TENTH STRAIGHT AMERICAN MEN’S TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Tulsa men’s team looks to extend its reign of team success at the American Cross Country Championships at Overton’s Lake Kristi. The Golden Hurricane has captured the men’s team title at every American championship meet dating back to 2014, winning by 10 or more points in each of the nine consecutive victories. Tulsa runners have won six individual conference championships during the streak, with Isaac Akers capturing the 2022 title in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
GOLDEN HURRICANE TRY TO MAKE IT FIVE STRAIGHT AMERICAN WOMEN’S TEAM TITLES
Tulsa’s women’s program has also emerged as a force dating back to the 2019 American Cross Country Championships, as the Golden Hurricane look for a fifth straight meet victory in 2023. Tulsa, a six-time American champion (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), has missed the podium just once (fourth in 2017) since joining The American prior to the 2014 season. Chloe Hershenow became the first Golden Hurricane to win the individual title in 2022 en route to being named the 2022 American Runner of the Year.
TOP PERFORMANCES OF THE 2023 SEASON
Tulane’s Gemma Rebollo was a two-time American Athlete of the Week this season, earning the award on September 5 and October 17. Rebollo broke the Green Wave 6K record at the Arturo Barrios Invitational with a time of 19:58.3, nearly 30 seconds faster than the previous mark held by Katrina Gemmell in 2001 (20:26.7).
Wichita State’s junior Lucy Ndungu earned the other two Athlete of the Week honors in The American this fall, winning back to back honors on September 19 and October 3. She finished with a pair of podium finishes at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational hosted by Nebraska and the Gans Creek Classic hosted by Missouri.
On the men’s side, Charlotte’s Nick Scudder and Tulane’s Bradley Makuvire both claimed a pair of Athlete of the Week honors. Scudder earned the honors on September 5 and October 3. Scudder has raced against some of the top runners in the country this fall, including his race at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational where he finished in 8th place among four top 30 schools.
Makuvire earned honors on September 19 and October 17 with a pair of second place finishes. At the Arturo Barrios Invitational, Makuvire broke the Tulane record in the 8,000-meter run with a time of 23:04.8, besting the previous record held by Emmanuel Rotich in 2016 (23:19.9).
