The 2022 cross country season features several returning athletes that saw great success last year. Here are 20 athletes you should know — 10 men and 10 women — entering the fall season.
Women
| Athlete | School |
|---|---|
| Mercy Chelangat | Alabama |
| Kelsey Chmiel | NC State |
| Maddy Denner | Notre Dame |
| Lauren Gregory | Arkansas |
| Emma Heckel | New Mexico |
| Tori Herman | Kentucky |
| Olivia Markezich | Notre Dame |
| Ceili McCabe | West Virginia |
| Taylor Roe | Oklahoma State |
| Katelyn Tuohy | NC State |
Three of the top five individual finishers and five of the top 10 individual finishers return to collegiate cross country in 2022. Alabama’s Mercy Chelangat and West Virginia’s Ceili McCabe lead the crowd after finishing within two-tenths of a second apart for second and third place. Defending team champion NC State returns Kelsey Chmiel and Katelyn Tuohy as it looks to become the first repeat women’s cross country champion since 2010.
👀: 6 cross country invitationals and meets to put on your radar in 2022
Men
| Athlete | School |
|---|---|
| Yaseen Abdalla | Tennessee |
| Graham Blanks | Harvard |
| Drew Bosley | Northern Arizona |
| Casey Clinger | BYU |
| Charles Hicks | Stanford |
| Alex Maier | Oklahoma State |
| Ky Robinson | Stanford |
| Victor Shitsama | Oklahoma State |
| Cole Sprout | Stanford |
| Nico Young | Northern Arizona |
Defending team champion Northern Arizona might’ve lost Abdihamid Nur to the professional ranks, but it returns a deep team highlighted by Nico Young and Drew Bosley. Stanford is another team with great depth, with Charles Hicks as the top returning individual finisher in 2022 across the sport. Another notable name is Yaseen Abdalla; he’ll run for Tennessee this year after transferring from Texas.
🏃♂️LATEST CROSS COUNTRY NEWS 🏃♀️
🗓 2022: Invitationals to watch | Regional championship sites
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: XC Glossary | How the championships work
🏆 AWARDS: The history of the USTFCCCA’s cross country national athlete of the year
👀 HISTORY: Teams with the most titles | Men's champ history | Women's champ history | Inside Villanova's dominance
🔥 MORE: The fastest finishes | Top cross country courses
