University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS AHEAD FOR LADY VOL CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
October 28, 2001 | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 28, 2001
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
SEC Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The University of Tennessee women's cross country team will begin the critical championship portion of its schedule on Monday, Sept. 29, at the 2001 Southeastern Conference Championships. The 6,000-meter women's race will be contested at the Indian Pines Golf Course in Auburn, Ala., at 10 a.m. CT.
"We are very excited entering the SEC meet," Lady Vol cross country coach Rodney Rothoff said. "This time of year is so exciting for a team and we look forward to the championship season. This is our opportunity to show everyone how hard we worked during the offseason and how far we have come since last year."
Tennessee is looking to improve on last season's eighth-place finish and will be aided in that effort by junior All-American Sharon Dickie (Grand Blanc, Mich.). Dickie finished third at the 2000 SEC meet and is the top returning finisher from last year. Freshman Brooke Novak (Kaukauna, Wis.) will be making her conference debut and offer Dickie a running mate through most of the race. Beyond the top two, one of the keys for Tennessee's success will be keeping its third though sixth runners together as a pack throughout much of the race. Sophomores Jessica Southers (Ashland, Ky.) and Erin Anderson (Dayton, Ohio), as well as freshmen Elizabeth McCalley (Knoxville, Tenn.) and junior Christy Baird (Knoxville, Tenn.), will comprise Tennessee's main pack. Junior Amber Ayub (Knoxville, Tenn.) will give UT a solid seventh runner in case of a mishap during the competition.
In the team race, the Orange and White will have to contend with nine-time champion No. 10 Arkansas and the home-standing Auburn Tigers. The Florida Lady Gators will also present formidable competition on the flat, fast course in Alabama.
Rothoff is looking for a much stronger finish from UT this year because of the depth of his team. A year ago, Tennessee had just five runners finish the race and only three go on to the NCAA South Regional.
"This year, we are a lot deeper, but we are not quite where we need to be," Rothoff said. "Having Brooke as another frontrunner will help us, but this year we are trying to be not only a part of the meet but also to be competitive. If we were to finish in the top three, it would be a huge boost to our program and our goals to win a championship. Anything can happen in these meets and we go in with the attitude that we can win.
"We need to have our third through sixth runners stay together within a minute of Sharon in order to be successful. The other big factor is Sharon's leadership, because she has proven that to be one of her greatest strengths. She continually steps up and I expect nothing different this week."
Following the SEC Championship on Oct. 29, the Lady Vols will return to action at the NCAA South Regional where they will vie for one of two automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
