Alabama Cross County Duo Earns All-America Honors
11/21/2021 6:12:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Mercy Chelangat earned her second-consecutive cross country All-America honor, while Crimson Tide newcomer Flomena Asekol earned her first accolade
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama duo of Mercy Chelangat and Flomena Asekol were named cross country All-Americans for the 2021 season following Saturday's NCAA Championships.
Chelangat, the 2021 NCAA Championships runner-up and last season's national champion, earned her second-consecutive honor, while Asekol earned the recognition for the first time.
In addition to Chelangat's second-place finish, which came in a time of 19:29.3, Asekol finished 29th at the NCAA Championships after crossing the line at 19:51.0.
The duo led Alabama to a 15th-place team finish with 428 points, marking the first time since 1993-94 that the Tide has posted back-to-back top-15 finishes after taking eighth last season.
Chelangat is just the second UA woman to repeat as a cross country All-American, following Elspeth Turner in 1986-87. Asekol is the 13th Alabama woman to earn All-America accolades in cross country, with her honor giving UA 15 since Sue Jackson earned the first in 1980.
Both Chelangat and Asekol also earned First Team All-Southeastern Conference and NCAA All-South Region recognition earlier this season. Chelangat was also the SEC and NCAA South Region champion.
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