Lady Vols Tab Fourth-Place Finish at Paul Short Run

Saturday, October 5

Bethlehem, PA

11:00 AM

University of Tennessee

Paul Short Run

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2019.08.30 - Tennessee Tri-Star XC Challenge

Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

October 05, 2019 | Track & Field

Results

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Senior distance specialist Megan Murray placed ninth overall at the Paul Short Run Saturday afternoon, leading the Lady Vols cross country team to a fourth-place finish at one of the largest meets in the country. The Knoxville native clocked a time of 20:03.3 over the six-kilometer course to pace the Big Orange.

WOMEN'S RACE RECAP: Coming off back-to-back meet victories to begin the season, Tennessee's women continued their successful campaign with 175 points for fourth place. The Lady Vols notably knocked off nationally ranked No. 27 Princeton and SEC rival Georgia, in addition to defeating Georgetown who was receiving votes in the most recent USTFCCCA national poll.

Murray's clocking was just three seconds away from a PR as she was the first Lady Vol to cross the finish line. Sophomore standouts Sydney Seymour (20:11.6, 13th) and Katie Thronson (20:31.8, 25th) came in next for Tennessee, and Seymour's time was a personal best by more than 30 seconds.

"It was a great day in Pennsylvania for our Lady Vols," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said following the meet. "I thought we competed really well. Just an absolutely tremendous race from our senior captain Megan Murray, finishing top-10 with a powerful race. Then you had Sydney Seymour back her up, while Katie Thronson held on over the last 1K for a top-25 finish. With three runners in the top-25, we knew we had a good shot."

Junior Abigail Smith was the fourth finisher for the Big Orange, turning in a time of 21:03.1 for 74th place overall. True freshman Alyssa Wolf scored for the third consecutive meet, rounding out the top five with a mark of 21:04.3 in her first collegiate 6K.

"Alyssa and Abigail found each other and ran together. Overall, just proud of the effort and results. Our ladies came ready to compete and that's a credit to their efforts in training. We're excited to bring them back to Pennsylvania in a couple weeks for the Penn State National Open."

MEN'S RACE RECAP: Tennessee placed 21st out of 44 teams competing in the men's college gold 8K with a total of 601 points. In a race of nearly 400 runners, Vol junior Alex Crigger led the Big Orange with a 55th-place outing individually as he clocked a time of 24:14.6.

Sophomore Karl Thiessen was the second man across the finish line for Tennessee, finishing 93rd in 24:32.6. John Elrod (141st, 24:50.8), Conner Hawkins (165th, 24:58.4) and Devin Sullivan (191st, 25:06.1) rounded the top-five scorers for UT over the eight-kilometer course.

"Today, I think our men got off the line a little too aggressive," Alford-Sullivan said. "Three or four of our guys were through the mile at a 4:40 pace. It's a frustrating result because we are much more fit than the results show. The Vols are coming off a hard month of training in September, and we look forward to seeing how they'll bounce back as the regular season winds down this month.

"We were happy to debut John Elrod and Conner Hawkins today after being without them last season. Very pleased with their performances, along with redshirt-freshman Devin Sullivan. It was great to have those three back in our lineup."

UP NEXT: Following a two-week break from competition, Tennessee will split up for the first time this season. The women's team is set to compete at the Penn State National Open (Oct. 18), while the men will run at the Texas A&M Arturo Barrios Invitational (Oct. 19).

A breakdown of Tennessee's results from the Paul Short Run can be viewed below. For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee cross country and track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter.

Men's 8K (601 points - 21st of 44)
55. Alex Crigger - 24:14.6
93. Karl Thiessen - 24:32.6
141. John Elrod - 24:50.8
165. Conner Hawkins - 24:58.4
191. Devin Sullivan - 25:06.1
--
225. Brayden Hamblen - 25:19.7
230. Max Barbour - 25:20.5
243. Adam Johnston - 25:26.4
252. Gashaw Duhamel - 25:30.9
349. Georde Goodwyn - 26:49.5

Women's 6K (175 points - 4th of 38)
9. Megan Murray - 20:03.3
13. Sydney Seymour - 20:11.6
25. Katie Thronson - 20:31.8
71. Abigail Smith - 21:03.1
74. Alyssa Wolf - 21:04.3
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143. Alaina Riordan - 21:40.6
243. Ainsley Cooper - 23:15.1
265. Kathleen Maley - 23:37.6