University of Tennessee Athletics
XC CENTRAL: Crimson Classic
October 15, 2014 | Track & Field
Tennessee: 23-19 (0-3 SEC)
Last Time Out: The Tennessee men's cross country team came in 14th in its last race at the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 4. Kyle Walters led the way for UT, posting a 25:00.33 in the 8K race -- his best mark in the event this fall. Right on Walters' heels was senior Austin Whitlelaw with a time of 25:00.87. The trio of Jack Little ( 25:22.51), J.R. Creekmore (25:30.91), and Jeremy Dickie (25:51.95) rounded out the scoring for the men in Louisville.
Sullivan's Spotlight: "We've had a great one-two with Kyle Walter and Austin Whitelaw so far this fall," said director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "They both continue to train very well. Jack Little has been great and J.R. Creekmore and Jeremy Dickie continue to make strides as well. That group of five is just tough as nails and they are giving us everything they've got and having a lot of fun. They are improving leaps and bounds with every single workout and I'm looking to closing up the spread between one and five and getting Jeremy more into the thick of things as our fifth-man. They can be a dangerous team if they put one together."
About This Event: Friday marks the 26th annual running of the Crimson Classic, hosted by the University of Alabama. The UT men are returning to the Classic for the first time since 2012 following a one-year hiatus. J.R. Creekmore is the only UT runner on the men's side to have competed in a Crimson Classic, finished 55th with a time of 27:17.00 two years ago. The men's 8K race begins at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be contested at the Harry Pritchett Running Course -- the same site that will host the 2014 SEC Championships on Oct. 31. The Vols are part of a field of 33 teams that include fellow SEC members Alabama, Auburn, and LSU.
Other Teams Competing: View the complete field here.
Tennessee: 9-7 (0-1 SEC)
Last Time Out: Three weeks ago at the Bluegrass Invitational, the Tennessee women's team finished in sixth place. Heading that effort was the second consecutive runner-up finish of the year for junior Chelsea Blaase who led UT with a 5K time of 16:44.40. She finished behind only Katie Borchers, Ohio State's senior All-American. That effort -- which was at that point the fastest 5K time recorded in the SEC -- earned Blaase her first career SEC Women's Runner of the Month award.
Sullivan's Spotlight: " Alexis Panisse is going to show up for us again this weekend," said director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "She's had a hot-and-cold last couple of races, but she's really tuned in right now and her training has been outstanding. I think Alexis and Chelsea Blaase will give us a nice one-two punch in this competition. We're also going to race Lizzie Cornell on Friday and this will be her first cross country race in a long time. She's been coming off an injury for some time now but she's up and running and I'm excited to get her in the lineup to mix it up. The women's team has been low on numbers but big on heart and I'm very proud of them for how scrappy they've been this season."
About This Event: Friday marks the 26th annual running of the Crimson Classic, hosted by the University of Alabama. The UT women will be making their third consecutive appearance at the Classic after finishing second at the event in 2012 and third in last year's edition. Chelsea Blaase, who has finished second in all three races for the Vols this fall, posted her first career victory in Tuscaloosa last season after turning in a 5K time of 17:21.19 -- a personal-best to that point. Teammate Alexis Panisse joined her in the top 10 with a seventh place finish. The women's 5K, which begins at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, will feature a field of 37 teams, including SEC foes Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and South Carolina.
Other Teams Competing: View the complete field here.
Coach Sullivan on the Crimson Classic: "We're excited for this race because this course is the same one that will host the SEC Championships in two weeks. It will give us a chance to get a feel for the course, learn some things, and see how it runs. So it's good for us in terms of preparation for the conference championships. But we're also really ready to run; we've had a great stretch of training over the last couple weeks and both squads are looking very healthy and strong. We've switched gears moving into October and we're doing a lot more turnover work and speed work so I think everyone is feeling fast and excited for this competition. We can smell championship time coming so the energy has been very high."
Players Mentioned
