Vols and Lady Vols Finish Fifth at SEC Cross Country Championships

Friday, October 29

Columbia, MO

University of Tennessee

SEC Cross Country Championships

Vols and Lady Vols Finish Fifth at SEC Cross Country Championships

October 29, 2021 | Track & Field

Men's SEC Cross Country Results Women's SEC Cross Country Results

COLUMBIA, Mo. – At the 2021 SEC Cross Country Championships, the Vols and Lady Vols finished fifth in their respective races at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.

Karl Thiessen led the Big Orange with a 14th-place finish in the men's 8k, crossing the line in 23:58.4. With his finish, Thiessen secures Second Team All-SEC honors for the second consecutive season.

Thiessen is the first Vol since Peter Okwera in 2012 and 2013 to earn back-to-back All-SEC honors.

For the women, Sydney Seymour finished ninth in 20:23.4 in the 6k race. It is the best finish at the SEC meet for the Seven Hills, Ohio, native. She also picked up Second Team All-SEC accolades.

It is UT's first top-10 finish on the women's side since Chelsea Blaase placed second in 2015.

MEN'S RECAP
With Thiessen pacing the Vols at the front, UT's second through fifth runners ran a tight pack to help secure the fifth-place finish. Alex Crigger placed 30th in 24:28.6, earning his fifth top-30 finish at the conference meet in five years.

Will Cronin crossed the line in 36th with a time of 24:45.1 as the graduate transfer made his SEC meet debut. Conner Hawkins and Canaan Anderson rounded out the scorers for the Vols as they placed 45th and 52nd, respectively, with times of 24:55.5 and 25:05.8.

"We had a great showing today," director of track & field and cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan said post-race. "I was extremely proud of this group. We had our sights on Kentucky, and trying to hold our top-five positioning and we pulled that off. We were able to beat Kentucky throughout the race and the guys just competed so hard. Had a great performance out of Karl to secure All-SEC standing.

"Alex Crigger running our number two all season and then just some great racing after that. Will Cronin has stepped in and run our number three all season and did it again. Then we had a great race out of Conner Hawkins and Canaan Anderson and Riley Buchholz. Really all six of them gave a great effort today and covered the spots that we needed. And we battled tough, it was exciting. They closed in the last 3k in the race, they closed it down and moved their selves back into fifth spot. And I was extremely, extremely proud of that."

WOMEN'S RECAP
The Lady Vols placed five runners inside the top-50 Friday morning as they took home fifth at the SEC Championship meet. Seymour led the pack with her ninth-place finish, while Katie Thronson came home 19th in 20:56.6.

For Thronson, it is her third top-30 placement at SECs and best outing at the conference meet since 2018.

Olivia Janke was the third finisher for the Lady Vols, placing 22nd in 20:58.8. Kayla Gholar was 40th with a time of 21:36.1, while Callie Tucker crossed in 47th in 21:44.9. UT's third through fifth runners were each making their first appearance at the SEC Championships.

"We were going in there sitting in top-five," Alford-Sullivan said. "If they did an SEC ranking we would have been the fifth-ranked team going in. We battled hard. Early on Florida gave us a challenge but we were able to really pull it together in the last 2k, pull back into fifth. Kentucky had us just a little bit. It was Katie Thronson's first race back since the Minnesota competition over a month ago, and for her to finish in the top-20 was just outstanding today. So, very thrilled with her and then you see Olivia Janke just keep coming. This is actually her first SEC cross country meet and to finish in the top-22 and running tight up on Katie, that was the goal. Kayla and Callie really came through for us. Both finishing in the top-50, just extremely competitive for those two young people. We're really, really pleased, we held our own and competed extremely hard."

ALL-SEC HONORS
Karl Thiessen earned back-to-back Second Team All-SEC honors with his 14th-place finish Friday. Last season, the senior finished 11th at the conference meet. For the women, Sydney Seymour earned Second Team All-SEC as she crossed the line in ninth. It is her first SEC Cross Country All-SEC team award and the first honor for the women since Katie Thronson in 2018.

Freshman Rachel Sutliff earned Freshman All-SEC honors Friday for her performance. The Grapevine, Texas, native placed 56th overall in a time of 21:51.7. Sutliff was the third freshman across the line Friday morning.

CLOSING REMARKS FROM ALFORD-SULLIVAN

On Karl Thiessen's performance…
"There's nobody that can outwork Karl. Karl has done everything in his capability to be prepared not only for this meet, but also for the NCAA regional where we move up to 10,000 meters. We have trained this team hard through the season to be prepared for 10k later on. Karl himself, you know, he's just battled in the SEC. It's a battle and he puts himself in it and really fought hard. I couldn't be more proud of him."

On Sydney Seymour, Katie Thronson and Olivia Janke…
"Sydney, Katie and Olivia are our 1-2-3 Punch. Sydney was has been and continues to be just tremendous. She's battling some great All-Americans right up in that race today and putting herself right in the mix. It is great to see a top-10 finish out of her and a top-20 finish out of Katie and a top-25 out Olivia. I mean that was what I asked them to do and they pulled it off."

UP NEXT
The Vols and Lady Vols will be back in action Nov. 12 at the NCAA South Regionals. Tennessee will run the regional meet in Huntsville, Alabama, at the John Hunt Cross Country Running Park. UT ran on the regional course earlier this season at the North Alabama Showcase.

TEAM RESULTS

Men

1. Arkansas (40)
2. Ole Miss (59)
3. Missouri (105)
4. Alabama (132)
5. Tennessee (169)
6. Kentucky (183)
7. Florida (215)
8. Georgia (223)
9. Texas A&M (229)
10. Auburn (250)
11. Vanderbilt (253)
12. LSU (261)

Women

1. Arkansas (68)
2. Ole Miss (83)
3. Alabama (91)
4. Kentucky (93)
5. Tennessee (136)
6. Florida (170)
7. Missouri (192)
8. Vanderbilt (214)
9. Auburn (253)
10. LSU (256)
11. Texas A&M (270)
12. Georgia (292)
13. Mississippi State (363)
14. South Carolina (435)

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Men

14. Karl Thiessen – 23:58.5
30. Alex Crigger – 24:28.6
36. Will Cronin – 24:45.1
45. Conner Hawkins – 24:55.5
52. Canaan Anderson – 25:05.8
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60. Riley Buchholz – 25:15.5
73. Fuji Anday – 25:34.0
83. Tim Thacker – 25:53.2
94. Thomas Gardiner – 26:17.6
107. Eli Nahom – 28:19.4

Women

9. Sydney Seymour – 20:23.4
19. Katie Thronson – 20:56.6
22. Olivia Janke – 50:58.8
40. Kayla Gholar – 21:36.1
47. Callie Tucker – 21:44.9
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51. Brooke Dixon – 21:48.6
56. Rachel Sutliff – 21:51.7
84. Jasmine Fehr – 22:19.9
96. Ainsley Cooper – 22:45.2
101. Sarah McCabe – 22:52.6