Oct. 25, 2012
NASHVILLE - Auburn cross country enters the postseason phase of the schedule on Friday when it comes at the 2012 SEC Cross Country Championships hosted by Vanderbilt University at Percy Warner Park.
Auburn is hoping to improve upon an eighth-place finish by the men and a 10th-place performance by the women in 2011. The Tigers are ranked fifth (men) and 15th (women) in the South region by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The top finishers from 2011 for both the men's and women's teams return this year in Kane Grimster and Alissa Fisher. Grimster was 14th overall, while Fisher placed 32nd. Grimster's personal best in an 8k race is 25:26.50 (2012 Azalea City Classic, 2nd place), while Fisher has run a collegiate best mark of 21:24.74 in a 6k at last season's SEC championships.
The best performance for the Auburn women was a runner-up showing in 1995, while the men have been SEC champions on six different occasions (1946, 1948, 1955, 1964 and 1979-80).
The defending SEC men's cross country champion is Arkansas, which has claimed 19 of the last 21 conference team titles. The defending women's SEC cross country champion is Vanderbilt, which captured its first-ever league title last season.
The women's 6K race is scheduled for a 10 a.m. CT start, while the men's 8K race will commence at 11 a.m. CT. An awards ceremony will follow the races. Admission to the 2012 SEC Cross Country Championships is free
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