University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
NCAA Regionals
Blaase Wins 2015 NCAA South Regional
November 13, 2015 | Track & Field
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Tennessee senior Chelsea Blaase won the 2015 NCAA Cross Country South Regional Women's 6K on Friday at Harry Pritchett Running Park, becoming just the third UT woman to capture a regional individual title.
2015 NCAA South Regional
Women's Individual Champion: Chelsea Blaase, Tennessee
Women's Top 2 Teams: 1. Vanderbilt, 2. Mississippi State
Men's Individual Champion: Antibahs Kosgei, Alabama
Men's Top 2 Teams: 1. Florida State, 2. Ole Miss
Tennessee Women - 19th, 512 points
1. Chelsea Blaase, 20:02.29
110. Julia Rizor, 22:35.53
130. Peighton Meske, 22:52.73
152. Caroline Duer, 23:18.47
153. Emma Reed, 23:20.21
Tennessee Men - 9th, 296 points
37. Jack Little, 31:57.02
45. Brad Swiney, 32:09.25
68. Kyle Walter, 32:41.36
73. Wesley Robinson, 32:46.24
82. Zach Long, 32:54.45
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83. Dartanian Oakley, 32:57.71
102. Tyler Woodrome, 33:22.11
"Chelsea was a champ today, obviously," Tennessee Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "She had her eyes set on winning this race. She had not won this race before and it has been a while since a Vol has won a regional championship. This was on the list to do this year and she marked this one off with a big checkmark."
By winning the individual regional championship, Blaase has earned an individual berth for the 2015 NCAA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21, at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.
"I'm just so ecstatic and happy right now," Blaase said after the race. "I can race the nationals tomorrow. I'm so excited that I'm going. It was a great race, I had amazing runners with me the whole time and I'm just super ecstatic and happy and living in the moment right now."
Jack Little paced the Tennessee men in the NCAA South Regional Men's 10K race, placing 37th and leading the men's squad to a strong ninth-place (296 points) showing in a 21-team 10K. The young UT women's team placed 19th (512 points) in the 30-team 6K race.
Vanderbilt (65 points) and Mississippi State (78) earned the two automatic NCAA Championship team bids on the women's side. Florida State (58) won the men's team title and Ole Miss (62) points earned the men's other automatic bid to nationals. Alabama's Antibahs Kosgei (30:25.66) won the men's 10K individual title.
Blaase joined Brenda Webb (1977 AIAW Region 2 champion) and Sharon Dickie (2000 NCAA South Regional champion) as the only women in program history to qualify for nationals as a regional individual champion.
"I'm not finished yet," Blaase said. "I've still got nationals. (The win at regionals) is a good note to lead up to nationals and it shows that I'm ready. I'm ready to go and I'm fit and I'm prepared and I'm just ready to hammer it and show everyone what I'm made of."
Blaase is familiar with the national championship site, at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. She has run two races there this season, winning the Greater Louisville Classic Women's 5K Blue Race (17:04.50) on Oct. 3 and taking third place in the Pre-Nationals 6K Red Race (20:02.6) on Oct. 17.
On Friday Blaase attacked the course at Harry Pritchett Running Park. She led a crowded pack at the front through the first 2K (6:45.80) and stayed in the lead as that group narrowed down to five runners by the 4K mark (13:28.20).
"I thought she was a little overly nervous this morning," Sullivan said of Blaase. "But once she got past 2K, she calmed right down and she stayed conservative through about 4K of the race and then the strength of the course was really in the last 2K and that's her strength too. We played the race plan right and she was very calm and confident late in the race and really just had a tremendous day today."
Blaase broke loose in the final mile and crossed the finish line in 20:02.29, nine seconds in front of the second-place runner, Vanderbilt's Caroline Pietrzyk (20:11.53). Alabama's Katelyn Greenleaf (20:16.13) took third place.
The UT freshmen women battled hard in their first NCAA regional. Julia Rizor was the next Vol to cross the finish line at 22:35.53 (110th). Freshman Peighton Meske (130th, 22:53.73), senior Caroline Duer (152nd, 23:18.47) and freshman Emma Reed (153rd, 23:20.21) also scored for Tennessee.
The men's 10K marked the final race for senior leaders Little and Kyle Walter. Little got better as the race progressed, working his way through the pack to finish 37th at 31:57.02 to finish the race as the Vols' leader for the first time in his career. Freshman Brad Swiney ran a strong race, working his way up as well to finish 45th at 32:09.25. Walter, who graduates this December, battled from start to finish and took 68th place at 32:41.36 in his final race for Tennessee. Freshmen Wesley Robinson (73rd, 32:46.24) and Zach Long (82nd, 32:54.45) rounded out UT's scorers.
The Tennessee men actually tied Belmont in points, but the Vols won the tiebreaker for ninth place as their sixth runner, freshman Dartanian Oakley (83rd, 32:57.71, 80 points), finished better than Belmont's sixth man, Matt Blivin (136th, 34:59.33, 129 points).
Sullivan was proud of the way the UT men bounced back from a disappointing finish at the SEC Championships. She and the assistant coach Rodney Stoker challenged the team to empty the tank at regionals.
"We are running this team with all these freshmen who have never run a 10K before," Sullivan said, "We really just said, 'Guys, get in there, group up, pack up and run with some moxie today. Let's go out there and run with some heart and some moxie and the pride of Tennessee.' They really did that."
