The domination continues!!!
The Arkansas men's cross country team won their TWENTY-NINTH straight conference title yesterday in Gainesville, FL. It marks conference title #69 for the Razorback track program.
Later this month, in Terre Haute, IN, the Razorbacks will attempt to win their 37th national track title.
There isn't a team in any sport, for any college, that matches the success of the Razorback track program. 36 national titles, 69 conference titles, and 514 All-Americans.... John McDonnell isn't a coach, he's a friggin LEGEND.
WPS
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Arkansas Sweeps SEC Cross Country Titles
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Monday, November 4, 2002
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Arkansas added to one of the longest tenured championship streaks in collegiate athletics' history on Monday as the Razorback cross country team ran to victory at the 2002 Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championships.
The Hogs earned their 12th straight SEC crown since entering the league in 1991 and their 29th consecutive conference crown. Arkansas captured the final 17 cross country titles in the Southwest Conference before switching leagues.
The Hogs tallied 31 points, with five runners in the top 15 to finish first in the 8,000-meter race at the University of Florida Golf Course. Alabama came in a close second with 52 points.
"It was a win, but it was not pretty," Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said. "Hopefully we will be able to correct that by Tuesday. The guys did not have a good performance, but it was a win. I think they underestimated the course and the heat. They didn't seem to be running with a purpose."
With their first place finish Coach McDonnell and his Razorbacks extended one the most impressive streaks in collegiate athletics. Arkansas began the conference winning string in 1974, six years before current junior All-American Daniel Lincoln was born. Overall, the Hogs have won a combined 69 conference titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field since McDonnell arrived in Fayetteville.
"Personally, I think that's my best achievement, to win 29 in a row in the Southwest Conference and the Southeastern Conference," McDonnell said. "Today they (Alabama) could have broken that streak, but our eighth man, Luis Bordes, really stepped up to be the fifth man. He is a warrior and was so nervous before the race, but I told him, 'Smile, try to relax,' and he finished in the top 15."
Junior All-American Alistair Cragg finished second with a time of 24:20 and junior All-American Daniel Lincoln came in third with a time of 24:30. In the beginning both ran steady with two-time defending SEC Champion, David Kimani of Alabama. Then Kimani started to break away after the fourth mile and took a commanding lead from there to finish first (24:05).
"I didn't like the way I ran; I couldn't get away," Alistair Cragg said. "I wasn't all there. David (Kimani) is just stronger and I should have dug deeper."
Junior All-American Silverus Kimeli came in fifth with a time of 25:03, with sophomore All-American Jason Sandfort right behind with 25:12 for sixth.
Freshman Luis Bordes ran a career-best time of 24:44 to take the 15th spot. Junior Westley Alkin finished 24th (26:15), while Said Ahmed turned in a time of 28:46. Junior Chris Mulvaney did not finish the race, due to an injury.
After the Razorbacks return from Florida they will rest before competing at the South Central Regional Championships in Waco, Texas on November 16. The NCAA Cross Country Championships will follow shortly after on November 25, in Terra Haute, Ind., where Arkansas hopes to capture its 12th national cross country title.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Arkansas swept the men's and women SEC Cross Country team titles today. The Lady Backs took their fifth consecutive title with a team score of 39. The Arkansas men won their 12th straight title with 31 points. Christin Wurth of Arkansas was the individual champion in the women's race with a time of 21:04.87 the third best 6K time on the UF Golf Course. David Kimani from Alabama won his third consecutive SEC Cross Country Individual title. His finished the 8K race in 24:05.18, the best time on the UF Golf Course since its renovation.
Arkansas Senior Christin Wurth came to the 20th annual Southeastern Conference Women's Cross Country Championships in need of a top 15 finish to become only the sixth Lady Razorback in school history to earn all-conference honors all four seasons.
She leaves the Florida-hosted meet as the league champion, winning the first cross country meet of her long Arkansas career.
Wurth and former roommate Londa Bevins tore away from the field early and never looked back as their one-two finish led the 10th-ranked Lady'Backs to their 10th SEC team title.
"Today was a lot of fun," Wurth said. "It's fun to walk out of here with a win as a senior, but as long as one of us won it really didn't matter. Honestly, I was wanting to get that fourth all-conference."
Wurth's individual victory was Arkansas' third consecutive, and made more impressive by the fact that she beat both of the defending champions, her teammates Andreina Byrd (2001) and Lilli Kleinmann (2000).
"I think it just shows how deep our team is," she said. "Any of us could win on any given day."
Arkansas scored 39 points to double second place surprise Kentucky with 78. Tennessee was third at 86 followed by Auburn with 117.
The team title gave Arkansas as many trophies as the rest of the SEC combined in women's cross country, and marked the 10th in the 12 years of the Lady'Backs membership in the conference.
The Lady'Backs head coach Lance Harter was pleased, and not surprised, with the results.
"Christin has always been there for us, and today she had the chance to step out of the shadows," Harter said. "I think today is the start of Christin getting the chance to fulfill some of the dreams she's had since she's been at Arkansas."
A mile champion on the track in SEC competition, the win was the first ever for Wurth in cross country in any race at Arkansas, an ironic twist for the athlete who earlier this season surpassed four-time all-American Amy Yoder Begley for the most runners defeated in a career. Wurth's previous high finish was second as the SEC runner-up last year and second earlier this season at the Aztec Invitational.
"I didn't really feel that strong all the way through the race," Wurth said. "I had a cramp near the finish, but was determined by then to make it through."
The immediate defending champion Byrd was 11th overall in a performance that was gutsy as well as all-conference.
"Andi was very careful today, and we even encouraged her to drop out," Harter said. "But she wasn't about to stop and she stepped back and encouraged our freshmen."
Although Wurth and Bevins lost contact with their fellow frontrunner by the first kilometer, they were not worried.
"It was amazing that she was at the line today as bad as she was hurting," Wurth said. "We knew she'd come through."
Byrd led the wave of Arkansas freshmen into the chute, posting a time of 22:02 for the 6,000-meter course. True freshman Maureen Scott was on her heel at 22:04, with redshirt freshmen Erica Sigmont and Shiloh Whiting behind in 13th and 14th.
Arkansas came close to a record seven all-SEC finishers, but 2000 titlist Kleinmann was edged by a pair of runners to finish 17th overall. The Lady'Backs' eighth runner, Jessie Gordon, was 18th.
"Our freshmen came out today and really announced themselves to the SEC," Harter said. "It was important for them to perform well since we lose four seniors. It's very special to be all-SEC as a freshman, and they need to enjoy that accomplishment."
Arkansas returns to Fayetteville to prepare for the NCAA South Central Regional in two weeks.
"Andi should be fine by then, and we'll make some decisions on who runs at Waco next week," Harter said.
Byrd's sore calf muscle should be ready for the senior to defend her regional title against her teammates.
