Olympians Set to Compete Saturday at the USATF Cross Country Championships

USATF Release

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The 2022 USATF Cross Country Championships presented by Toyota get underway Saturday at Mission Bay Park in San Diego, as a handful of Olympians and numerous other contenders dot the start list in what promises to be an exciting start to the 2022 racing season. 

The USATF Cross Country Championships are the first stop on the 2022 USATF Running Circuit. Fans can tune-in for the live broadcast beginning at 9:25am PT on USATF.TV with a +PLUS subscription. The women’s open race starts at 1:00pm PT, while the men’s open race starts at 1:50pm PT.

After a one-year hiatus, the USATF Cross Country Championships bring the best of American distance running back together to compete once again in one of the more festive environments of the season. While both open races are loaded with talent, the women’s race in particular has some incredible matchups. 

Olympian Molly Seidel leads the way, coming off of her bronze medal performance at the Olympic Games in the marathon. Seidel, who won the NCAA Cross Country Championship title in 2015, placed second at the USATF Cross Country Championships in 2018. Her last race saw her finish an impressive fourth overall at the TCS New York City Marathon, so expectations are high entering Saturday’s contest.

Fellow Olympian Alicia Monson is also entered. The On Athletics Club athlete finished 13th in Tokyo in the 10,000m and ran new personal bests across the board in 2021. While her performances in Tokyo and at the U.S. Olympic Trials were extremely notable, not to be overlooked was Monson’s 5000m performance in early September, where she ran a new best of 14:42.56, which ranks her US#4 all-time in the event, ahead of such notable stars in Molly Huddle and Shalane Flanagan.

Emily Infeld is also in the field and ready to showcase her racing talent once again. After struggling with injuries off and on for much of the past few years, Infeld is in a new training environment and looking to kick off her 2022 season in a big way. The 2015 World Championship bronze medalist in the 10,000m won the 2018 USATF Cross Country Championships over Seidel. Past cross country success, along with some recent strong training, should position Infeld well amongst her competition.

Weini Kelati is another top contender. After gaining her American citizenship last summer, the former University of New Mexico star tore up the roads this past fall. In mid-October, Kelati won the Boston 10K for Women in dominating fashion, turning around three weeks later to win the USATF 5 km Championships by 27 seconds. The Under Armour sponsored runner has an opportunity to put the American distance running community on notice Saturday.

The reigning USATF Cross Country champion is also entered in Saturday’s contest, as Natosha Rogers readies to defend her title from 2020. Rogers had another strong season in 2021, finishing second at the USATF Half Marathon Championships and seventh at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000m. She’ll undoubtedly contend for the win in San Diego.

Not to be overlooked, veteran Stephanie Bruce and Emily Durgin are both capable of top three finishes. Bruce placed third behind Infeld and Seidel at the 2018 USATF Cross Country Championships and seemingly every time she’s entered in a race she puts up a fantastic performance. 

Durgin is coming off a big 2021 season. She placed third overall in the 2021 USATF Running Circuit standings after scoring two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes in the first half of the Running Circuit calendar. Durgin placed ninth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000m.

Other notable entries include veteran Carrie Verdon, who placed third at the 2020 USATF Cross Country Championships, Jaci Smith, who placed 10th in the 10,000m at the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer, and USATF Running Circuit veterans Olivia Pratt, Susanna Sullivan, and Katherine Ward.

A number of notable names headline the men’s field, as Olympians Leonard Korir, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Hilary Bor, and Bernard Keter are all entered.

Korir and Kipchirchir are past USATF Cross Country Champions. Kipchirchir is the most recent winner, having claimed victory at the 2019 USATF Cross Country Championships, while Korir took home first place finishes in 2018 and 2017. The duo are known for their tough tactics and thrilling finishes, and while neither had the 2021 racing season they had hoped for, both have too much experience to overlook in San Diego.

Bor and Keter are both coming off 2021 seasons, which saw the duo race in Tokyo at the Olympic Games. Bor missed making the final in the 3000m steeplechase, but Keter ran well through the prelims and into the final, where he took home 11th place. However, Bor has the upper hand in cross country, having finished fourth at the USATF Cross Country Championships in 2019.

While the Olympians headline the start list Saturday, it’s Sam Chelanga who could be considered the pre-race favorite. Chelanga had an incredible 2021 campaign, finishing second overall in the USATF Running Circuit standings. He won the USATF 10 km Championships, placed third at the USATF 25 km Championships, and most recently placed second at the USATF Half Marathon Championships. Having had plenty of past success in cross country, Chelanga seems up to the challenge to vie for the title.

Futsum Zienasellassie is another top runner to follow. In addition to having an extensive list of cross country success over the years, including his time at Northern Arizona University, Zienasellassie enters Saturday’s contest having built a great deal of momentum in the back half of 2021. Zienasellassie placed second at the USATF 25 km Championships and fifth at the USATF Half Marathon Championships.

Reid Buchanan and Zach Panning are two others looking to build on good 2021 seasons. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, Buchanan placed ninth overall in the 10,000m, while Panning took home 11th. Buchanan enters the race having placed second in a half marathon San Diego last month, running 1:04:29, while Panning placed 11th at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October. 

Returning top five finishers Lawi Lalang and Dillon Maggard are also entered. At the 2020 USATF Cross Country Championships, Lalang finished third overall, while Maggard placed fourth. They are joined Saturday in San Diego by veterans Kirbuel Erassa, Ben Bruce, and Ben Blankenship, all athletes who bring their own strengths and experiences to the field and could vie for top five finishes.

Race videos, results, post-race interviews will be available shortly after the race in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com. Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #USARC.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $13,200 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF Cross Country Championships

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF Cross Country Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.

The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.

Contributed by Scott Bush