Auburn Men Finish Fourth at SEC Cross Country Championships
Men Results
October 30, 2004
Andrew Heath |
Fayetteville, Ark. -- The Auburn men's cross country team turned in an impressive performance at the 21st annual SEC Championships as they ran to a fourth-place finish and earned two All-SEC honors.
In their best finish since the 1996 season and the best under current coach Chris Fox, the Tigers men's cross country team came in fourth with 96 points at the SEC Championships, led by freshman Chris Walsh.
Walsh, a native of Charleston, W.V., ran the 8K course in 23:41.14 to place fifth, his best finish this season. Veteran Andrew Heath finished 18th with a time of 24:21.54. Both Walsh and Heath earned All-SEC honors for their top finishes.
Also finishing in the top-30 for the Tigers was Patrick Philbin (22nd, 24:35.99), Chris George (24th, 24:37.29) and Patrick Mouser (27th, 24:39.71). Matt Tillman (31st), David Riddle (33rd) and Joey Smajd (t-41st) also competed for Auburn.
"I knew coming into today's race that our men could place well," head cross country coach Chris Fox said. "They have shown throughout the season that they can compete with the best in the conference and I think today's showing proves that. I am excited to see newcomer Chris Walsh do so well and I expect him to have many more great meets as a Tiger."
Arkansas took home the men's team and individual title and Florida placed second followed by Georgia in third. Auburn's men were ranked seventh in the conference in the pre-season, but have had several standout performances throughout the season and received votes in the coaches poll twice this season.
The men will compete at the NCAA South Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 13 to try and earn one of the two automatic spots at the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22.
For complete results from the SEC Championships, please visit http://www.hogwired.com