University of Tennessee Athletics
XC CENTRAL: 2014 SEC Championships
October 29, 2014 | Track & Field
Tennessee: 44-28 (2-5 SEC)
Last Time Out: The Tennessee men's cross country team last competed at the Crimson Classic, held Oct. 17 at the Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- the same course that will host the 2014 SEC Championships. Led by Austin Whitelaw's career-best sixth-place finish in the 8k race, UT finished in 10th in the team results. Whitelaw posted a time of 25:13.99 to snare his first top 10 finish of the year. Kyle Walter (25:40.43) came in 22nd and Jack Little (25:51.93) rounded out the Tennessee top three in 32nd.
Sullivan's Spotlight: "The men have some good mojo going right now. It's a seasoned group of guys that have been competing with each other for three, four years together now. They have a lot of energy and a lot of motivation. We've seen some great races from Kyle Walter as well as Austin Whitelaw and I think those two are a good up-front punch. We've also had great efforts from Jeremy Dickie, Jack Little, and J.R. Creekmore. All of those guys are capable on any given day to run side-by-side with each other and finish us out as a top five. It's the senior campaign for Austin, J.R., and Jeremy and we're looking for progression and to get them into positions that they've never been before at this competition. That would mean quite a bit."
About This Event: Friday marks the fifth time that the University of Alabama has hosted the SEC Cross Country Championships, having last hosted the event in 2000. The men's 8k race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET and an awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of the race. Last year, the UT men came in seventh place, led by Peter Okwera's fifth-place finish. Seniors J.R. Creekmore and Austin Whitelaw are the Volunteers' only returners to the Championships with the latter placing 69th a year ago with a time of 25:54.85. The Arkansas men are the defending SEC champion and have won four consecutive conference titles, including 21 of the last 23.
Other Teams Competing: All 13 SEC schools that sponsor men's cross country will compete at the 2014 Cross Country Championship. No. 23 Arkansas is the only ranked program in the field, but Ole Miss is also receiving votes in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches Poll.
Tennessee: 29-19 (0-6 SEC)
Last Time Out: The Tennessee women's cross country team is returning to action following a week's break at the conclusion of the Crimson Classic, held Oct. 17 at the Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- the same course that will host the 2014 SEC Championships. Chelsea Blaase was again the story as she successfully defended her 2013 crown by winning the Classic for the second straight year with a career-best 5k time of 16:37.66. Meanwhile, fellow junior Alexis Panisse also finished inside the top five, placing fourth behind a time of 17:31.24.
Sullivan's Spotlight: " Chelsea Blaase has put together a very, very good regular season. She has competed at a high level in all four races that she's run and is coming off a very dominant victory on this same course two weeks ago. She's very confident coming into the weekend. We'll see some of our conference contenders as not only as teams, but as individuals for the first time and I think Chelsea will have a very tough up-front race to contend with. We'll be looking for her to progress from her 10th place finish from last year and we know she'll go in and give it her best and her best is very, very good. Alexis Panisse will also be a great up-front runner with Chelsea so we hope that both of them put together some great races."
About This Event: For the fifth time in conference history, the University of Alabama will be hosting the SEC Cross Country Championships. The Crimson Tide last hosted the event in 2000. The women's 6k race is the first race of the day and will commence at 10 a.m. ET. An awards ceremony is scheduled for roughly 12:15 p.m., following the conclusion of the men's 8k race. Last season, the UT women came in eighth place and were led by Chelsea Blaase's 10th place finish behind a time of 20:44.24. The top 10 finish marked a huge leap from her finish of 81st at the Championships during her freshman year. Alexis Panisse was not far behind Blaase in last year's edition, coming in 17th at 21:05.09. The Arkansas women, who have captured a league-leading 14 SEC titles, won last year's even in Gainesville.
Other Teams Competing: All 14 SEC schools will be represented on the women's side at the 2014 Cross Country Championship. Arkansas, ranked fifth in the nation, and Vanderbilt, ranked 13th, are the only two programs in the field to hold a spot in the latest U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coaches Poll.
Coach Sullivan on the SEC Championships: "The team is in a really good spot. Physically, we're feeling very good. Emotionally, we're excited and we feel like the opportunity is there to make an impact on the conference championship. I think both sides are feeling excited to see how well that can go for us. We feel really comfortable on the course having competed here last week. We'll have a little different layout for the women with them changing from the 5k course to the 6k, but they feel very confident on it. The men also feel extremely confident and they handled it very well last week. It will be a more competitive field on Friday and they'll feel that right off. But we're prepared for the tenacity that it's going to take to compete at a high level."
Television: A post-produced packaged broadcast of the 2014 SEC Cross Country Championships will air on the SEC Network at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 9.
Players Mentioned
