XC Central: SEC Championships

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee cross country program will conclude its fall season this week at the SEC Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The meet will begin with the women's 6K at 10:05 a.m. ET, followed by the men's 8K at 11:00.

The 2020 SEC Cross Country Championships will be televised on the SEC Network, with an online version of the broadcast available at this link. Live results will also be available via PrimeTime Timing.

10 Tennessee men are set to compete Friday morning at LSU's University Club. Tennessee returns four of its top five runners from last year's conference meet, highlighted by 2019 All-Region performer and senior captain Alex Crigger.

Most recently, the Vols took fourth place as a team two weeks ago at the UAB Blazer Classic—taking down SEC East foes Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the process. Karl Thiessen was UT's top finisher in Birmingham, placing 11th with a time of 23:41.68 over the 8K course. Seniors Georde Goodwyn (16th place, 24:07.68) and Crigger (20th, 24:22.86) also logged top-20 individual finishes for the Big Orange in a field that featured nationally ranked Arkansas and Ole Miss.

Five of the 10 Vols in uniform on Friday will be making their SEC Championship debuts: Canaan Anderson, Riley Buchholz, Thomas Gardiner, Mike Griffin and Eli Nahom.

"Our men are ready and excited for a great race tomorrow," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "As always, it will be a battle for top finishes, as the SEC is so competitive. Our men's leadership has been outstanding and they know we have a deep team to rely on. I am excited to see how it unfolds."

Due to multiple student-athletes sidelined due to COVID-19 contact tracing, the Lady Vols have withdrawn from Friday's competition.

"I am heartbroken for our Lady Vol student-athletes, who have worked and trained so hard this fall," Sullivan said. "We were building some nice momentum toward a strong performance at the SEC Championships. And as difficult as this decision was, I believe withdrawing from the women's event was our most appropriate course of action in the interest of health and safety."

Friday's championship meet will mark the conclusion of the 2020 fall campaign. Last month, the NCAA DI Board of Directors approved the proposed plan to move fall championships in 2020 to the spring of 2021. The NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships will be held on Monday, March 15, 2021, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

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

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Players Mentioned

Canaan Anderson

Riley Buchholz

Alex Crigger

Thomas Gardiner

Georde Goodwyn

Mike Griffin

Eli Nahom

Karl Thiessen

University of Tennessee Athletics