LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? The Kentucky men?s and women?s cross country teams each finished in the top 20 Saturday at the NCAA Southeast Regional at E.P. ?Tom? Sawyer Park to conclude a successful 2006 campaign for the Wildcats. The UK women posted an impressive eighth-place finish, while the men, who were without top runner John Richardson, finished in a respectable 16th place.
?This has been a successful season for us,? said Pat Tyson, assistant coach for distance and cross country. ?The kids believed in what we were trying to do and really bought into the new system that we implemented. I love the closeness that I saw in our team and that?s important because the team is everything.?
The Kentucky women surpassed last season?s ninth-place finish at regionals by finishing eighth this season in the 6K race with a score of 251. N.C. State claimed the women?s race with a 61, followed by Duke (70) and Virginia Tech (83). N.C. State?s Julia Lucas claimed the individual crown with a time of 20:15.
Sophomore Taylor Miller led the Wildcats for the fourth time this season and the third consecutive meet with a time of 21:45 to finish in 38th place. Balance again proved to be a key for the UK women as each of the team?s first three runners were within 14 seconds of one another. Fellow sophomore Andrea Halasek was 40th with a time of 21:53, while senior Georganne Way was 44th with a 21:58. Other finishers for the Kentucky women included junior Lavera Morris (50th, 22:08), junior Liliane Sparkes (84th, 22:36), senior Emily King (94th, 22:47) and freshman Claire Laverty (123rd, 23:13).
?There was not much else that our women could have mastered today,? Tyson said. ?A top-10 finish is very good for us in a difficult regional. We were ninth last year and we were able to move up with not a whole lot of depth. An eighth-place finish for our women is very strong.?
The Kentucky men appeared to be headed for a strong finish as Richardson was among the race?s top 10 individually at the 3K mark. The senior, competing in the final race of his collegiate career, was forced to withdraw, however, after experiencing soreness in his Achilles tendon that prevented him from finishing the race.
The Wildcats finished in 16th place in the 10K race with a 459. Junior Andr? Silva led UK for the fourth time this season with a time of 32:14, while junior John Thompson was the squad?s No. 2 runner in 87th place with a time of 32:54. Other finishers for the Kentucky men included junior Zach Wilder (99th 33:01), sophomore Bruce Hordusky (113th, 33:17), sophomore Ryan Finn (123rd, 33:25) and sophomore Chris Long (151st, 33:53).
N. C. State also captured the men?s 10K race with a 64, while William and Mary (70) was second and Louisville (80) third. Eastern Kentucky All-American Jacob Korir claimed the individual title with an E.P. ?Tom? Sawyer Park course record 10K time of 30:03.
?Our men accomplished some good things this season,? Tyson said. ?I feel confident that with a healthy John Richardson, the men would have been able to finish in the top 10 and that would have been spectacular. They accomplished many of their goals this season and got good experience with a small roster.?
The Southeast Regional consists of schools from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The top two teams in each race earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 20. There were nine regional events taking place this weekend, where the top two teams in each race earned automatic bids to the field of 31. The remaining spots will be filled by at-large selections decided by the selection committee Sunday evening.
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