University of Tennessee Athletics
Blaase Stays Hot, Wins Crimson Classic
October 17, 2014 | Track & Field
MEN'S 8K RESULTS | WOMEN'S 5K RESULTS
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- For the second consecutive year, Tennessee's Chelsea Blaase has claimed top medalist honors at the Crimson Classic, hosted by the University of Alabama. The junior earned her second NCAA cross country victory with a career-best 5K time of 16:37.66, snaring the first-place finish which had eluded her after three second-place finishes this fall.
Friday's race was contested at the Harry Pritchett Running Park -- the same site that will host the SEC Championships in two-week's time.
"Chelsea is coming into form right in time for conference and I'm really pleased with the way she ran today," said UT director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "She jumped out in front at about the 2K mark and never looked back, really turning it on to separate herself from the pack all the way to the finish. To run the time that she did on this course is very, very impressive."
Blaase also came in first at last season's Crimson Classic, finishing with a then career-best time of 17:21.19. Another career day awaited the junior on Friday as she recorded yet another personal best, all the while obliterating the field by a whopping 38 seconds. Her time of 16:37.66 is almost seven seconds better than her previous career-best, set earlier this year at the Bluegrass Invitational, and currently ranks as the fifth-best 5K time in the SEC this season.
Also turning in a strong performance on the women's side was fellow junior Alexis Panisse. With a time of 17:31.24, Panisse came in fourth place - her best finish of the season to this point -- after making up some serious ground over the final leg of the race. She had entered the final 1000 meters in eight place and made up four places in the home stretch.
The one-two punch of Blaase and Panisse helped lift the Tennessee women to a 13th place finish out of 37 teams on Friday. Amirah Johnson (18:56.96), Caroline Duer (20:17.37), and Lizzie Cornell (20:17.63) rounded out the scorers for UT.
"Today was Lizzie's first cross country race in about three years for us and I just want to commend her for her strong effort out there," Sullivan said. "She was a big help to us today."
On the men's side, Austin Whitelaw registered his first top 10 finish of the season to help the Vols to 10th overall. Whitelaw posted an 8K time of 25:13.99 to finish in a career-best sixth.
"Austin executed his race perfectly," Sullivan said. "He was steady all race and made his moves at the right time."
Kyle Walter came in 22nd at 25:40.43 and was followed by Jack Little (25:51.93) in 32nd. Jeremy Dickie rounded out UT's top three in 94th with a time of 26:52.40.
Tennessee will return to Tuscaloosa in two weeks for the 2014 SEC Championships. The UT men and women finished seventh and eighth, respectively, at last year's Championships.
Crimson Classic
Tennessee Results
Women's 5K
1. Chelsea Blaase, 16:37.66
4. Alexis Panisse, 17:31.24
91. Amirah Johnson, 18:56.96
176. Caroline Duer, 20:17.37
177. Lizzie Cornell, 20:17.63
Men's 8K
6. Austin Whitelaw, 25:13.99
22. Kyle Walter, 25:40.43
32. Jack Little, 25:51.93
94. Jeremy Dickie, 26:52.40
123. J.R. Creekmore, 27:13.47
167. Nick Kaiser, 28:05.96
