OXFORD, Miss. – Under first-year head coach Sean Carlson, the Tennessee men’s cross country team claimed its best finish at the conference meet since 1999, placing second with 64 points.
The Lady Vols placed sixth as a team with 159 points.
“We are about 120 days into the job and we took second at the SEC Championships,” Carlson said. “If we can get to that point in three months then we like to think in another year or two we can really get this program back to where we want it to be. Today was a little bittersweet to come within five points of winning but I think we are trending in the right direction.
“I thought our women ran very well and Kayla Gholar really took a big step this year. She was in the forties last season and moved up to 13th today. That is awesome feedback. We were fifth last year on the women’s side and lost our top three runners and to come back and finish in sixth and be 12 points out of fifth with a roster that we didn’t really add anyone to is pretty impressive. They have all grown a lot this season and I am excited for the future.”
MEN’S RECAP
Dylan Jacobs and Yaseen Abdalla led the men to their second-place finish Friday with second and third-place finishes, respectively. Jacobs battled for the individual title throughout the race, crossing the finish line in second at 22:42.78. He garnered First Team All-SEC accolades with the placement.
Abdalla crossed third in 22:45.57 to also pick up first-team honors. It is the first time since 1995 that the Vols have placed two runners inside the top 10 at the conference meet.
Karl Thiessen placed 14th overall at 23:40.26 to earn Second Team All-SEC recognition. It is the third time he has picked up All-SEC honors in cross country, becoming the first Vol to do so since Michael Spooner between 2008-10.
Tennessee’s three All-SEC honorees are the most since 1999.
Nate Kawalec and Canaan Anderson rounded out UT’s scorers on Friday as they placed 15th and 30th. Kawalec ran the 8K course in 23:41.72, while Anderson finished in 24:18.11.
WOMEN’S RECAP
Gholar was the first Lady Vol across the line Friday, finishing 13th at 20:07.67. Her finish earned Second Team All-SEC accolades. Freshman Andie-Marie Jones placed 29th overall with a finishing time of 20:40.15 and was the second runner to finish for the women.
Rachel Sutliff crossed the line third for UT and 33rd overall at 20:48.14, with Callie Tucker and Msgana Araya placing 41st and 46th,…
The Lady Vols placed sixth as a team with 159 points.
“We are about 120 days into the job and we took second at the SEC Championships,” Carlson said. “If we can get to that point in three months then we like to think in another year or two we can really get this program back to where we want it to be. Today was a little bittersweet to come within five points of winning but I think we are trending in the right direction.
“I thought our women ran very well and Kayla Gholar really took a big step this year. She was in the forties last season and moved up to 13th today. That is awesome feedback. We were fifth last year on the women’s side and lost our top three runners and to come back and finish in sixth and be 12 points out of fifth with a roster that we didn’t really add anyone to is pretty impressive. They have all grown a lot this season and I am excited for the future.”
MEN’S RECAP
Dylan Jacobs and Yaseen Abdalla led the men to their second-place finish Friday with second and third-place finishes, respectively. Jacobs battled for the individual title throughout the race, crossing the finish line in second at 22:42.78. He garnered First Team All-SEC accolades with the placement.
Abdalla crossed third in 22:45.57 to also pick up first-team honors. It is the first time since 1995 that the Vols have placed two runners inside the top 10 at the conference meet.
Karl Thiessen placed 14th overall at 23:40.26 to earn Second Team All-SEC recognition. It is the third time he has picked up All-SEC honors in cross country, becoming the first Vol to do so since Michael Spooner between 2008-10.
Tennessee’s three All-SEC honorees are the most since 1999.
Nate Kawalec and Canaan Anderson rounded out UT’s scorers on Friday as they placed 15th and 30th. Kawalec ran the 8K course in 23:41.72, while Anderson finished in 24:18.11.
WOMEN’S RECAP
Gholar was the first Lady Vol across the line Friday, finishing 13th at 20:07.67. Her finish earned Second Team All-SEC accolades. Freshman Andie-Marie Jones placed 29th overall with a finishing time of 20:40.15 and was the second runner to finish for the women.
Rachel Sutliff crossed the line third for UT and 33rd overall at 20:48.14, with Callie Tucker and Msgana Araya placing 41st and 46th,…
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