University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Pre Nationals
Blaase Finishes 3rd At Pre-Nationals
October 17, 2015 | Track & Field
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Tennessee's Chelsea Blaase took third place in the Pre-Nationals Women's 6K Red Race on Saturday at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park. Kyle Walter posted an 18th-place finish to lead the Vols to a 10th-place showing in the Men's 8K Black Race and the Rizor sisters paced the UT women in a 26th-place finish Women's 6K Black Race.
Blaase ran against the nation's best in Saturday's 10:15 a.m. Red Race, taking third with a time of 20:02.6 under sunny skies and in brisk weather at the course. The Tennessee senior ran with the front pack from start to finish, was in fourth place at the 3K mark (9:57.9) and took the lead at about the three-mile mark. Colorado junior Erin Clark took first place with a time of 20:00.5 and Air Force senior Hannah Everson was second at 20:01.2.
"Chelsea had an excellent performance," Tennessee Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "She raced a perfect race strategy, she had some great moves in there and she stayed patient early on. This is a great confidence-builder, to come in here and run it right at 20 minutes and almost win the race. I'm very proud of her and excited for her future as we go."
Blaase has finished in the top 10 in each of her last 12 races. She has also placed in the top three in nine of her last 12.
The UT men ran next in the 8K Black Race with Walter and Zach Long leading the way. Walter took 18th with a time of 24:29.4. Long took 37th at 24:49.4. Tyler Woodrome (68th place, 25.08.6), Jack Little (73rd, 25:10.3) and Wesley Robinson (25:20.5) rounded out the Vols' top five. Brad Swiney was 103rd (25:29.9) and Dartanian Oakley finished 169th (26:18.7). Tennessee scored 288 points to take 10th in the 31-team field. Liberty (159), UC Davis (172) and Brown (198) were the top three teams.
Julia Rizor led the team (639 points) for the first time, placing 75th at 22:04.4 in the 6K Black Race. Her twin sister Jessica Rizor ran with her for the entire race and took 77th at 22:06.4. Abby McCulla (148th, 22:48.8), Peighton Meske (169th, 23:05.5) and Caroline Duer (178th, 23:17.1) rounded out UT's top five. Lindsay Bowman finished 234th (26:23.2). Washington State (176 points) won the 6K Black Race.
"For both the men and the women, I thought we did some things really well," Sullivan said. "We had a great race out of Kyle Walter and a nice race out of Julia Rizor and her sister Jessica as well. But overall, we were probably a little flat. I think a lot of the youth is ebb and flow on some of the weekends. Some weekends we feel really fresh. Some weekends we feel a little flat. Today we looked a little flat in my opinion, but that's okay. They got a lot from the race. I think the men ran a lot faster than they did two weeks ago and I think there's a lot of things we can build off of for the conference meet."
Tennessee will be back in action on Oct. 30 when the Vols head to College Station, Texas, for SEC Cross Country Championships.
