Oct. 3, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky cross country squads posted a pair of second-place finishes in competitive fields of 35 teams or more in each race of the Greater Louisville Classic at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park Saturday.
Freshman Cally Macumber led the Cats across the finish for the second consecutive women’s race as UK placed three harriers in the top 25 and all six runners among the top 60 of 291 competitors. Macumber finished the 5K course in 12th overall, posting a time of 17:44.17. Classmate Chelsea Oswald placed 16th, clocking in at 17:54.67. Junior Katherine Peterson ran 18:11.78 to finish 25th in a return to her hometown of Louisville.
First-year runner Samantha Norman crossed the finish in 34th place overall stopping the timer at 18:17.43. Senior Lindsay Petri rounded out the scoring for Kentucky in 47th place, clocking in at 18:27.59. Freshman Amanda Whowell finished the course in18:40.27 to take 60th overall.
UK accumulated 130 points to beat out eight other regionally-ranked squads in the latest polls from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Cats finished only behind Purdue as the Boilermakers clinched the women’s title with 88 points. UK topped rival Louisville on the Cardinals’ home course as well as SEC foes Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Junior Adam Henken headed the group of five Wildcat scorers who finished among the top 60 of 336 harriers in the men’s 8K race. Henken’s time of 24:22.62 was good for 12th overall. Freshman Luis Orta finished next for the Cats in the 17th slot, clocking in at 24:27.71. Classmate Matt Sonnenfeldt placed 35th recording a time of 24:57.31.
In 46th place, sophomore Colin Heenan posted a mark of 25:07.61 as the Cats’ fourth runner across the finish line. Classmate Matt Wagner rounded out the UK scorers in 59th overall, finishing the course in 25:19.92.
The Wildcat men tallied 153 points and outperformed 11 other regionally-ranked teams in the latest USTFCCCA poll including fellow SEC teams Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. The host Cardinals placed three runners inside the top 10 to clinch the men’s title at 68 points.
“I was pleased but certainly not satisfied with both of our teams’ performances Saturday,” said UK assistant coach for cross country and distance John Mortimer. “Collectively, the men executed the race plan very well and I’m optimistic for better performances later this season. The ladies ran a very aggressive race early, perhaps a little too aggressive. They struggled a little in the latter stages of the race because of the risks they took early. That being said, I want a team that is willing to take some calculated risks.”
The Wildcats venture out of the Bluegrass state for the first time this season when they compete at the Penn State National Invitational on Oct. 16.
Click UKathletics.com for all of the latest Kentucky cross country news
