The Gators women's and men's cross country teams were both predicted to finish near the top of the Southeastern Conference last Wednesday. This season, the women will look to capture back-to-back SEC championships as the men hope to build off their mediocre, yet hopeful, 2025 season.
Last year, the men were led by then-freshman Kelvin Cheruiyot, who was named an All-American, the 2025 SEC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Cheruiyot clinched the men’s individual SEC title in October, crossing the line at 23:08.26. The Kenya native’s victory became the first in a men’s SEC Championship since 1983. Cheruiyot's individual accomplishments were not enough to propel the men to a successful team finish as they ended their season seventh at the NCAA South Regional Championships.
The women finished first in the SEC and notched their eighth conference championship, which ranks second across all women’s cross country teams in the league. Florida went on to win the NCAA South Regional Championship and finish fifth at the NCAA Championships, tying its best finish in program history.
In the men's poll, points were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13 basis. The men were given a total of 45 points and received no first-place tallies. Florida placed at No. 3, just shy of Arkansas at No. 2 and first-place Alabama. The Crimson Tide earned 12 first-place votes while the Razorbacks received two.
In the women's poll, points were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15 basis. The Gators’ 24 total points and six first-place votes slotted them at No. 2 in the conference. They were second only to Alabama who received nine first-place votes and 21 total points.
Florida cross country kicks its season off Friday in Kennesaw, Georgia, in the Stan Sims XC Opener. Both teams look to improve upon their former feats as the women hope to gain more traction at the NCAA Championships, while the men look to continue to use Cheruiyot to help drive them to an NCAA Championship appearance.
Contact Katie Mosley at kmosley@alligator.org. Follow her on X @kati3mosle7.
Katie Mosley is a freshman journalism sports & media major in her first semester at The Alligator. She currently serves as the Fall 2026 cross country reporter. In her free time, Katie enjoys watching her favorite sports teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, Kansas City Chiefs or Liverpool F.C. Katie also takes pleasure in hiking, kayaking and canoeing. One of her favorite traditions is going hiking in the Ozarks every summer.
