Oct. 6, 2009
LEXINGTON Ky. – Kentucky cross country freshman Cally Macumber was named the Southeastern Conference Cross Country Female Freshman of the Week the league office in Birmingham, Ala., announced Tuesday.
The award marks the first conference honor for Macumber and the third this season for the Wildcats. Last month, freshmen Chelsea Oswald and Matt Sonnenfeldt earned weekly SEC honors after first-place finishes EKU Invitational.
Macumber clocked in as the Wildcats’ top runner for the second consecutive women’s race at the Greater Louisville Classic last weekend. The Rochester Hills, Mich., native finished the 5K course in 12th overall, posting a time of 17:44.17. She was the third true freshman across the finish line out of 291 competitors. Macumber’s mark currently ranks 17th in the SEC.
“Cally has transitioned very nicely from a high school runner to a top-notch college runner,” said assistant coach for cross country and distance John Mortimer. “She has led a group of talented freshmen that have contributed immediately to our team’s early season success.”
As the top scorer, Macumber helped lead the Wildcats to a second-place finish out of 35 schools at the GLC. The UK women finished ahead SEC foes Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State as well as the host Cardinals. As a result, the UK women moved ahead of rival Louisville to place sixth in the latest Southeast Region poll released Monday by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
On the men’s side, UK was the biggest mover of the week in the latest USTFCCCA Southeast Region poll as the Cats moved up three spots to the eighth position after their second-place finish in Louisville. The Wildcats finished ahead of fellow SEC teams Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt at the GLC.
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.
Stay up-to-date with all of the latest Wildcat cross country news on UKathletics.com.
