Lady Vols Post Best SEC Cross Country Finish Since 2009

Friday, November 1

Lexington, KY

9:00 AM

University of Tennessee

SEC Cross Country Championships

Lady Vols Post Best SEC Cross Country Finish Since 2009

November 01, 2019 | Track & Field

Men's Results Women's Results

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Lady Vol cross country team earned its highest finish at the SEC Championships in a decade, placing fourth overall to highlight Tennessee's performances at the conference meet Friday morning at the Kentucky Horse Park.

On the men's side, Tennessee placed 9th overall with a top-25 individual finish from junior front-runner Alex Crigger. The Johnson City native led the Vols for the third-consecutive meet with a time of 23:35.4 over the 7,820-meter course.

WOMEN'S RECAP: Guided by three runners in the top-30, Tennessee finished fourth in the team standings with 170 points from its top-five scorers for the program's best result since a runner-up finish in 2009. Sophomore Sydney Seymour led the pack placing 20th individually with a time of 20:49.5, followed by senior captain Megan Murray who clocked in at 20:54.6 for 25th.

"I was really, really proud of these women before the race even started," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "In the cross country portion of our program, it finally feels like our women have arrived as true Lady Vols. True competitors showing a lot of grit, a lot of confidence and a lot of team energy."

Katie Thronson (30th, 21:04.2), Alyssa Wolf (50th, 21:27.8) and Abigail Smith (55th, 21:32.4) rounded out the Tennessee top-five Friday morning. Through five meets this season, the Lady Vols have not placed lower than fourth as a team.

"A lot of momentum moving forward into the regional championships," Sullivan said. "We're still alive to try and punch through. Our goal is to try and get to the national championships, and they're going to have to have a great day down in Tallahassee.

"I'm very thrilled with this team. It's been a tremendous season with them, and we're going to keep trying to extend the postseason."

Arkansas took home the team title on the women's side with 21 points, followed by Ole Miss (93) and Missouri (159) to complete the top-three squads in the conference.

MEN'S RECAP: With a total of 221 points, Tennessee finished 9th overall as Crigger paced the Big Orange. Redshirt-sophomore Conner Hawkins posted the best SEC performance of his career as the second Vol across the finish line, turning in a time of 24:15.4 for 44th place. John Elrod was close behind, placing third on the team for the third-straight meet as his mark of 24:20.8 was good for 48th place individually.

Karl Thiessen (24:35.4) and Adam Johnston (24:38.4) were the fourth and fifth scorers for Tennessee on Friday, as Johnston's performance marked the first time he scored at a postseason meet in his career.

"Our goal was to finish top-5, so we were frustrated by that, but we had some nice performances," Sullivan said. "Conner Hawkins really came through with his best day of the year. [Alex] Crigger continued to battle as our front-runner. Karl [Thiessen] gave his all out there, but he was battling illness. It was frustrating, but they will rally for Tallahassee."

Ole Miss captured the championship on the men's side with 35 points, while Alabama (90) and Arkansas (121) earned podium finishes placing second and third overall.

UP NEXT: Tennessee will continue postseason competition in two weeks at the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. Hosted by Florida State University, the meet is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15 at the Apalachee Regional Park.

A breakdown of UT's SEC Championship results 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 (9th place - 221 points)
22. Alex Crigger - 23:35.4
44. Conner Hawkins - 24:15.4
48. John Elrod - 24:20.8
57. Karl Thiessen - 24:35.4
62. Adam Johnston - 24:38.4
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75. Max Barbour - 24:52.2
80. Gashaw Duhamel - 25:01.2
86. Brayden Hamblen - 25:11.9
94. Georde Goodwyn - 25:31.6
106. Devin Sullivan - 26:18.9

Women's 6K (4th place - 170 points)
20. Sydney Seymour - 20:49.5
25. Megan Murray - 20:54.6
30. Katie Thronson - 21:04.2
50. Alyssa Wolf - 21:27.8
55. Abigail Smith - 21:32.4
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80. Alaina Riordan - 22:07.3
109. Nicole Adams - 22:41.8
121. Kathleen Maley - 23:05.5
122. Sarah McCabe - 23:11.6