Sept. 17, 2013 –
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky cross country’s Cally Macumber picked up another prestigious weekly honor as she was named Southeastern Conference Runner of the Week on Tuesday.
Macumber posted one of the nation’s fastest 5,000-meter times of the young cross country season last Saturday. Her time of 16:32.11 leads the SEC so far this year.
Macumber, the defending SEC and Southeast Region champion, returned to form in a big way this past weekend. She earned a commanding victory on her home course at Masterson Station Park, winning the Kentucky Bluegrass Invitational by a 26-second margin.
The Rochester Hills, Mich., native earned SEC runner of the week honors two times last season en route to Conference Runner of the Year honors.
The 2012 All-American cruised through the 5k course at an average mile pace of 5:19, outpacing a field that included runners from No. 21 Oklahoma State and 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor 5000 meter All-American Ann Eason of Eastern Kentucky, who finished a distant second to the victorious Wildcat.
Macumber’s personal-best cross country 5k time was nearly two minutes faster than her performance two weeks earlier at the Belmont Opener. Notably, the temperature in Lexington last Saturday was around 30 degrees cooler than it had been during her 2013 debut in Nashville, Tenn.
Macumber’s 5k time was also just 28 seconds off her track personal best at the same distance.
Kentucky will return to competition on Sept. 28, 2013 for the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla.