The University of Mississippi Athletics
Erb, Gallagher Earn XC All-America Honors
11/22/2016 | Cross Country
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss cross country program enjoyed a banner day Saturday, when the Rebel men finished fourth and the women 23rd at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.
A pair of individuals also made history. Seniors MJ Erb and Wesley Gallagher became the second and third All-Americans in Rebel cross country history by finishing sixth and 39th, respectively, at the national meet. The top 40 men and top 40 women at NCAAs garner USTFCCCA All-America distinction.
Only Barnabas Kirui, Ole Miss' first cross country All-American, finished higher at an NCAA meet than Erb and Gallagher. Kirui was fourth overall at the 2009 meet.
Erb, a native of Farmington, New York, has been outstanding in his senior season. He led the Rebels to an NCAA South Region Championship by finishing at the front of the Rebel pack in seventh in Tallahassee, earning All-Region status. He helped Ole Miss to a runner-up team finish at the SEC Championships by placing third overall, good for first team All-SEC honors. Erb was the SEC Men's Co-Runner of the Week on October 18 after winning the individual title with an 8.4K course-record 24:48.8 at the Penn State National Open.
Gallagher, who hails from Pembroke, Massachusetts, finished second on the team at the NCAA Championships and NCAA South Regional (eighth overall). He 12th overall at the SEC Championships. Like Erb, he also earned All-Region and All-SEC honors.
Top NCAA individual finishes in Ole Miss men's cross country history:
| Barnabas Kirui | 4 | 2009 |
| MJ Erb | 6 | 2016 |
| Wesley Gallagher | 39 | 2016 |
| Pablo Sierra | 45 | 1992 |
| Robert Domanic | 55 | 2016 |
| Sean Tobin | 62 | 2016 |
| Bernard Kuria | 67 | 1997 |
| Sean Tobin | 68 | 2015 |
| Barnabas Kirui | 71 | 2006 |
| Wesley Gallagher | 80 | 2014 |
| Craig Engels | 90 | 2016 |
For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field and Cross Country, follow the Rebels on Twitter (@OleMissTrack), Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
