Vols Finish Fourth at Arturo Barrios Invitational

Saturday, October 13

College Station, TX

University of Tennessee

Arturo Barrios Invitational

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2018.08.31 - Tennessee vs. Louisville Cardinals

Photo by: Maury Neipris/Tennessee Athletics

October 13, 2018 | Track & Field

Results

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Headlined by an eight-place finish from senior Zach Long, the Tennessee men's cross country program placed fourth out of 28 teams Saturday morning at the inaugural Arturo Barrios Invitational.

The Vols totaled 113 points in the men's 8K, with five runners finishing in the top-40 individually. Canadian powerhouse Guelph took the team title with 56 points, followed by No. 24 Oklahoma State (93) and Texas (98) to round out the top three.

Long was the first Vol across the finish line for the ninth-straight meet, clocking in at 24:36.4 to place eighth overall. Freshman Karl Thiessen was UT's second finisher at 24:48.3 (15^th), followed by sophomore Alex Crigger (24:57.6, 18^th) and senior Nick Brey (25:12.6, 32^nd). Senior Wesley Robinson completed the Tennessee top-five with a 40^th place outing in 25:24.1.

Other finishers for UT included Brad Swiney (25:33.2, 44^th), Max Barbour (25:37.0, 50^th) and Gashaw Duhamel (25:51.1, 68^th).

UP NEXT: Tennessee will turn its attention to the 2018 SEC Cross Country Championships, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 26 in Auburn, Ala. The Vols and Lady Vols had a test run of the course earlier this season, finishing first and second respectively out of five teams at the Pre-SEC Meet on Sept. 7.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee cross country, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter.

QUOTES
Beth Alford-Sullivan, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country
"Our guys competed really well and put thremselves in position to race from the start. We tried to roll up on Texas and Oklahoma State, but we came up just around 20 points short. I was proud of the effort from Karl Thiessen, who had a little trouble closing at the end but put together another strong performance as a freshman Alex Crigger rolled up on the last 600 meters and gave us a good shot to close the gap with some Texas runners. Zach Long continues to be a good frontrunner for us.

"It was a tough course and the conditions were extremely hot and humid, but we dandled it well. We're disappointed with couldn't close out Texas or Oklahoma State, but this men's program has come a million miles the last three years. I'm proud of the leadership of our seniors who have been in the program."

"Again, thanks to Texas A&M coaches Wendel McRaven and Pat Henry for opening spots for us at their meets and letting us compete with late notice. We look forward to racing in the SEC championships in two weeks and competing hard."