Oct. 30, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The 2008 SEC Cross Country season will conclude Monday, Nov. 3 with the SEC Championship in Starkville, Miss. Mississippi State is the host school as the races will be held at the Mississippi State Cross Country Course. This marks only the second time in school history that the Bulldogs have hosted the Championship. The first time was in 1995. Admission is free and open to the public. The women’s 6K race is slated for a 10 a.m. (CT) start, while the men’s 8K will begin at 11 a.m. (CT). The awards ceremony is set for Noon (CT).
Twelve women’s teams and 11 men’s teams will compete for the conference title. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the defending champions on both sides and have won the last 17 men’s titles and the last two women’s titles.
On the men’s side, this will mark the first race for the Razorbacks since the retirement of legendary track coach John McDonnell. No other team has won the SEC title since the Razorbacks joined the league in 1991. Tennessee still holds the record for most men’s titles with 25. The last title for the Vols came in 1990. The SEC has four teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Cross Country Division-I National Polls, led by No. 5 Alabama. Auburn ranks No. 11 followed by No. 26 Arkansas and No. 28 Florida. The Crimson Tide returns the defending individual SEC Champion from last year in Emmanuel Bor and junior Tyson David, who currently has the fastest time in the league in the 8K event.
The Arkansas women and the Florida women are the only two teams entering the meet ranked in the USTFCCCA Division I National Poll. The Razorbacks are No. 13, while the Gators are No. 14. Tennessee is receiving votes. The Razorbacks return senior Christine Kalmer, who finished second at the Championships last year, and will try to capture their third consecutive conference team title, 13th overall. Arkansas leads the conference in titles followed by Tennessee with five, Kentucky and Florida with three and Alabama with two. Auburn’s Holly Knight is the current SEC leader in the 6K and finished as the runner-up at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet earlier this season in Terre Haute, Ind.
Highlights from the Championship will be aired on FSN’s SEC-TV on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. (ET). For more information on the Championship, visit www.secsports.com or www.mstateathletics.com.
