University of Tennessee Athletics
"In Step" With Chris Rapp
October 28, 2010 | Cross Country
Oct. 28, 2010
By Eric Trainer, Associate Director of Media Relations
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- UT senior cross country captain Chris Rapp is glad to be back. After injuries forced him to miss the entire 2009 season, the Mason, Ohio, product has returned to the Vol lineup and just keeps getting better with every race.
After debuting at the 2010 Commodore Classic as his team's fifth scorer on Sept. 18, Rapp improved to UT's No. 3 runner at the Brooks Paul Short Run (Oct. 1) and to the squad's second finisher at the ISU Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., on Oct. 16. Competing on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course for the fourth time in his career, the Vol standout posted his best time yet at the venue that will host the national championship meet later this season. His time of 24:59.9 on the rolling 8,000-meter course was good for a 98th-place finish out of 241 runners in a national-caliber field.
Showing progress to the point it enabled him to run his best clocking despite coming off a redshirt season, Rapp should enter his final SEC Championship meet with his confidence on the rise. He and his teammates will be in Columbia, S.C., on Monday to do battle at Fort Jackson's Hilton Field. Race time for the men's 8,000-meter league race is 11 a.m.
UT was picked by the SEC's coaches in a preseason poll to tie for fifth place with Auburn. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia, respectively, were predicted to fill the top four positions.
Rapp was 35th at the SEC meet in 2008 and 55th in 2007. The Academic All-SEC civil engineering major is coming off a performance at the Pre-Nats meet where he posted his best finish on the team since leading the Big Orange pack at the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 4, 2008. Incidentally, his 24:59.9 readout at his most recent event was second only to his career-best 24:39.87 effort at that meet in Louisville two seasons ago.
In his video interview, Chris talks about his comeback from injury, his most recent meet, the team's mindset heading into the SEC Championships, the influence his athletic parents had on his career, and how he balances running and schoolwork. He also shares his career ambitions, which involve this country's mass transportation network.
