University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Race Into USTFCCCA Polls at No. 15, Ranked No. 1 in South Region
October 04, 2022 | Cross Country
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a strong outing at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invite, the Tennessee men's cross country team has raced up the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
Released Tuesday, the Vols are ranked No. 15 in the USTFCCCA national poll and No. 1 in the South Region. The national ranking is the highest for the Vols since at least 1999.
Tennessee is ranked first in the South Region for the first time in program history.
At the Joe Piane Invite, newcomers Yaseen Abdalla and Dylan Jacobs earned top-10 individual finishes as they helped guide Tennessee to a second-place finish. UT scored 104 points and finished ahead of four ranked opponents – No. 22 Montana State (144), No. 24 Butler (180), No. 25 Alabama (126) and No. 27 Michigan (217). The Vols also topped South Region foes Florida State (267) who placed 11th overall in the field.
Abdalla finished fourth overall at 23:24.4 as the 2021 cross country All-American made his Tennessee debut. Jacobs – the reigning 10K national champion – was not far behind as he placed eighth in his first race as a Vol at 23:26.3.
Sophomore Eli Nahom continued his strong season with a 19th-place finish at 23:45.1. The New Milford, Connecticut, native has run in every race this season and has placed top-20 each time, including winning the Tennessee Cross Country Invitational.
Jacob Lewis in 33rd (24:00.3) and Karl Thiessen in 40th (24:06.8) closed out the Tennessee top five.
Released Tuesday, the Vols are ranked No. 15 in the USTFCCCA national poll and No. 1 in the South Region. The national ranking is the highest for the Vols since at least 1999.
Tennessee is ranked first in the South Region for the first time in program history.
At the Joe Piane Invite, newcomers Yaseen Abdalla and Dylan Jacobs earned top-10 individual finishes as they helped guide Tennessee to a second-place finish. UT scored 104 points and finished ahead of four ranked opponents – No. 22 Montana State (144), No. 24 Butler (180), No. 25 Alabama (126) and No. 27 Michigan (217). The Vols also topped South Region foes Florida State (267) who placed 11th overall in the field.
Abdalla finished fourth overall at 23:24.4 as the 2021 cross country All-American made his Tennessee debut. Jacobs – the reigning 10K national champion – was not far behind as he placed eighth in his first race as a Vol at 23:26.3.
Sophomore Eli Nahom continued his strong season with a 19th-place finish at 23:45.1. The New Milford, Connecticut, native has run in every race this season and has placed top-20 each time, including winning the Tennessee Cross Country Invitational.
Jacob Lewis in 33rd (24:00.3) and Karl Thiessen in 40th (24:06.8) closed out the Tennessee top five.
Players Mentioned
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/ Cross Country
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/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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