IRVING, Texas – The 2022 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship are set to take place on October 28 at Mohawk Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The women’s championship 6K is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. (ET)/9:15 a.m. (CT) with the men’s championship 8K to follow at 11 a.m. (ET)/ 10 a.m. (CT). Live coverage of the meet will commence on ESPN+ at 10 a.m. (ET)/9 a.m. (CT) with Kit McConnico and Arch Bell on the call for both races.
NEW INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS WILL BE CROWNED
The American will have new individual champions in both the women’s championship 6K and the men’s championship 8K at this season’s conference meet. Yazmine Wright, the 2021 American women’s champion while at Wichita State, transferred to Oklahoma to complete her final season of collegiate eligibility in 2022 while the men’s individual champion in 2022, Scott Beattie of Tulsa, graduated following last season.
TOP RETURNING PERFORMERS LOOKING TO TAKE THE CROWN IN 2022
Although the most recent individual winners won’t be back to defend their crowns, there are plenty of all-conference performers from the 2021 American Cross Country Championships. Eight of the 15 members of the men’s all-conference team from a season ago return for their chance at the title. Tulsa returns three runners, including the fastest returner from a season ago in Micheal Power (fourth in 2021). The 2021 American Freshman of the Year Chris McLeod (seventh in 2021) returns for Tulsa, as does Christian Baker (15
th in 2021). Temple’s Joe Arthur (sixth in 2021), Cincinnati’s Tyler Wirth (eighth in 2021), Memphis’s Zachary Wyatt (11
th in 2021) and Wichita State’s Bryce Merriman (12
th in 2021) and Clayton Duchatschek (14
th in 2021) round out the returning all-conference performers from a season ago.
SMU’s Kaitlyn Gearin and 2021 American Women’s Freshman of the Year is the top of seven returners from a season ago in the women’s 6K, placing second in the 2021 meet. Along with Gearin, three of the top five all-conference performers return for this season’s championship – Temple’s Michelle Joyce (third in 2021) and Cincinnati’s Maddie Walker (fifth in 2021). Other all-conference returners from a season ago include Tulsa’s Chloe Hershenow (sixth in 2021) and Katharina Pesendorfer (seventh in 2021), Cincinnati’s Carmela Henning (12
th in 2021) and SMU’s Maddie Hulcy (14
th in 2021).
TULSA IN SEARCH OF NINTH 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 Mohawk Park. 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 eight consecutive victories. Tulsa runners have won five individual conference championships during the streak, with American Runner of the Year Scott Beattie capturing the 2021 title in Lakeland, Florida.
GOLDEN HURRICANE TRY TO MAKE IT FOUR 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 fourth straight meet victory in 2022. Tulsa, a five-time American champion (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021), has missed the podium just once (fourth in 2017) since joining The American prior to the 2014 season.
TOP PERFORMANCES OF THE 2021 SEASON
Cincinnati’s Maddie Walker was a two-time American Women’s Athlete of the Week during the 2022 cross country season. She paced a 5:31 mile over the 5K course at the Louisville Classic, running a 17:09.6. She was the top finisher for the Bearcats once again at the Bradley Pink Classic, where she ran a 20:44.1 in the 6K course in Peoria, Illinois.
UCF’s freshman Isabella Richardson put on an historic performance for the Knights at the North Alabama Showcase to earn the Sept. 20 Women’s Athlete of the Week. Richardson set the UCF freshman record with a time of 17:12.38 in the 5k. Her time broke the record by over 30 seconds and was also the 4th best time in program history.
Claire Meyer of Houston shined in the first race of the year for Houston in the women’s 3k at the McNeese Season Opener in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Meyer navigated the course to a third-place finish with a time of 10:05.2. She was a key part to helping the Cougars pick up a second-place finish in the season opener as she picked up the Women’s Athlete of the Week for Sept. 4.
Aaron Gilliam earned the Sept. 4 Men’s Athlete of the Week, dominating the men’s 5k at the UNO XC Opener in New Orleans, Louisiana as he claimed a first-place victory in his first collegiate race. He ran a 14:34.30 in the race, finishing nearly six second ahead of second place. Gilliam helped lead Tulane to a first-place finish to open the season.
Tyler Wirth helped lead the Bearcats to a second-place team finish at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan to earn the Sept. 20 Men’s Athlete of the Week. The senior placed sixth out of 256 runners after running a time of 24:45.84 in the 8k. He ran a sub-five-minute mile (4:58) and even fell outside of the top seven in the field.
Tulsa runners claimed the final two Men’s Athlete of the Week Awards. Competing against nine of the top 11 teams in the nation, Cormac Dalton helped Tulsa finish in 5th place as a team at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Cormac finished the 8k with a time of 23:39.7, leading all Tulsa runners in the race. He finished in 12th place at the highly competitive meet that featured a field of 241 athletes.
Tulsa continued their strong schedule, competing against 17 of the top ranked USTFCCCA teams in the country at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, where Michael Powers helped guide the Golden Hurricane to a sixth-place finish. Powers navigated the 8k championship course in 23:25.2 to pace Tulsa and finish 11th overall in the field of 245 runners.