LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men?s and women?s cross country teams look to surpass preseason expectations Saturday when they travel to Baton Rouge, La., to compete in the Southeastern Conference Championships at Highland Road Park.
The women?s 6K race commences at 10 a.m. ET Saturday, while the men?s 8K race begins at 11 a.m. ET. The UK women, who finished fourth at last season?s conference meet, were picked to finish fifth in the league while the Wildcat men were predicted to finish in eighth place.
?We are excited about the SEC meet,? said Pat Tyson, assistant coach for distance and cross country. ?Our goal is to throw out the preseason rankings and see how high we can climb. We are seeing fire in the eyes of our runners, which is exciting, and we have everybody healthy. We have a bunch of great young men and women and we are looking forward to seeing them maximize their talent at the conference meet.?
The Kentucky women are making their 23rd appearance in the Southeastern Conference Championships, while the men are appearing for the 49th time. The women have finished in the SEC?s top five in three of the past five years, including a second-place finish during the 2002 campaign. The UK women have won the SEC Championships three times (1985, 1988 and 1989). The Kentucky men are looking to record their first top-five finish since the 2003 season. The men have claimed the SEC crown four times (1958, 1959, 1970 and 1988).
The Wildcat women have counted on a balanced lineup this season that is anchored by senior Georganne Way (Lilitz, Pa.) and sophomores Andrea Halasek (Georgetown, Ky.) and Taylor Miller (Owensboro, Ky.). Miller has led the Cats in two of their four meets this season, including a fifth-place finish at the Cal Poly Invitational two weeks ago. Way was the SEC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week in the first week of the season after her first place finish at the EKU Invitational on Sept. 1. Halasek led the Wildcats at the Greater Louisville Classic with an 18th place overall finish against stiff competition.
On the men?s side, senior John Richardson (Ocean City, N.J.) and junior Andre Silva (Centereach, N.Y.) have provided a powerful one-two punch all season long. The duo led the Wildcats to a first place finish at the Cal Poly Invitational two weeks ago as Silva and Richardson finished first and second, respectively. Silva has been the Cats? top finisher in three of the team?s four meets this season.
Complete results and a recap will be available at ukathletics.com.
