OXFORD, Ala. - Coastal Alabama - North Men's and Women's Cross Country, led by third-year head cross country coach Misti Nims, kicked off the 2025 season at the Foothills Invitational to begin Labor Day weekend, hosted by Jacksonville State University (Ala.) in north Alabama. The meet was held at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala. and was a scheduled 5k for both the men's and women's events.
For the men's cross country team at Coastal Alabama, the Yotes finished a solid 12th place out of 20 competing teams, beating out three members of the NCAA/NAIA Divisions. A total of 12 of the 20 teams that competed at the Foothills Classic are members of the NCAA or NAIA, one step above Coastal Alabama's membership division in the NJCAA.
The men's team opens the season ranked No. 22 in the USTFCCCA NJCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll and was the third-best finisher out of eight ACCC teams to compete over the weekend. 2024 ACCC All-Region runner Alexzander Querns led the way with a strong time of 17:06, placing 65th overall out of 175 entrants. He was followed closely by Riley Valdez in 68th with a time of 17:15. Phillip Parker finished exactly one minute behind Querns at 18:06, placing 95th, and Curran O'Grady (18:26) and Eli Covington (18:53) rounded out Coastal Alabama's top five men's finishers. Other men's team results can be found below:
On the women's side, history was made as Coastal Alabama Women's Cross Country recorded the first team score in program history. The Yotes placed 20th overall out of 21 teams, led by Roxanna Mendoza with a time of 24:26. Chloe Criswell followed Mendoza with a time of 26:01, and Polly Crenshaw rounded out the top three for the Coyotes with a time of 26:46. Other women's results can be found below:
Next Up
The Coyotes now shift their focus to the Montevallo Classic next on the scheduled, set for Sept. 12 in Montevallo, Ala. The women's race is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT, with the men's race coming at 8:15 p.m. CT.
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