Seymour Places In Top Half At NCAA Cross Country Championships

Monday, March 15

Stillwater, OK

12:50 PM

University of Tennessee

NCAA Cross Country Championships

Seymour Places In Top Half At NCAA Cross Country Championships

March 15, 2021 | Track & Field

Results

STILLWATER, Okla. — Lady Vol junior Sydney Seymour finished in the top-half of the field in her NCAA Cross Country Championship debut, placing 105th out of 256 runners at the national meet. The Seven Hills, Ohio, native completed the OSU Cross Country Course 6K with a time of 21:31.4 Monday afternoon.

"Syd did a great job today," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said after the race. "We've had cross country going since August, didn't get a chance to race for a championship in the fall, and you turn around and have a full indoor season where Sydney had a PR in everything she raced in. She broke into scoring at the SEC Indoor Championship, and then we were kind of waiting to find out if she made the cross country championships. All that to say, this was not the perfect lead-up to a championship, but she came out and she raced tough in a race against the powerhouses of powerhouses. To be in that top-105 was really an accomplishment she should be proud of. She's not satisfied, and I don't think I am either, but she definitely got the experience she needs to be able to compete on this stage."

Seymour earned one of 39 individual at-large bids to the NCAA Championships following a strong 2020-21 campaign on the cross country course. She had top-10 finishes at all three regular-season meets, including a 9th-place result last month at the FSU Winter Classic in a field that featured five nationally ranked programs.

The Lady Vol standout had back-to-back top-3 individual results during the 2020 fall semester, finishing runner-up at the Live In Lou Classic (Oct. 3) and taking third at the UAB Blazer Classic (Oct. 16).

"Looking back on the season, I really think Sydney has the ability to take herself up another level," Sullivan said. "We've been in battle mode for about a month, from getting ready for indoor SECs to getting ready for today's meet. It's been a lot on her plate. With our sport of cross country pulling this off, the NCAA and Oklahoma State pulling this off to give these kids an opportunity to compete at the highest level, it just makes for better athletes all-around. That's where Sydney will emerge from this experience."

This marks the end of the 2020-21 cross country season. The Vols and Lady Vols will begin their 2021 outdoor campaign this weekend at the Tiger Track Classic in Auburn, Alabama.

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