by Chad Vignes, Student Assistant SID
OXFORD, Miss. -- The LSU men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished 11th at the SEC Championships, hosted by Ole Miss Saturday.
The men finished with 321 points in their 8K meet, while the Lady Tigers finished with 335 points in the 5K event.
Highlights of the meet can be seen on SEC Weekly, which will air on ESPNU Nov. 5 at 4:30 p.m. ET, and Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Sixth-ranked Alabama repeated as conference champions, as they won the men’s title with 56 points, placing six runners in the top 20. Florida captured the women’s title with 24 points, snapping Arkansas’ three-year winning streak at the conference championships.
Ole Miss junior Barnabus Kuiri claimed the individual conference title with a 24:24.75. Kuiri also won the individual conference crown as a freshman in 2006.
Rebecca Lowe of Florida won the women’s individual conference title, as she clocked a 20:57.35, pacing the four other Gators that finished in the top 10.
Sophomore Cullen Doody paced the Tigers with a 27:55.92. Doody has been LSU’s top male finisher in every meet this season. Junior Kyle Hecker was the next Tiger to cross with a 28:19.59.
“Effort-wise, we gave our best effort,” LSU cross country coach Mark Elliott said. “The talent level in SEC cross country is just extraordinary, and with us losing our top three runners from last season, it’s tough to come back and compete right away.”
Six other Tigers, Sean Swanner, Kenneth Schiffman, Ken Ehrhardt, Paras Shah,Luke Dessauer and Frank Bohn, all came in together within 20 seconds of one another.
Freshman Charlene Lipsey was the Lady Tigers’ top finisher for the second meet in a row, as she clocked a 23:38.38. Junior Katie Hamel and sophomore Laura Carleton finished close behind Lipsey, within 10 seconds of one another.
“The women have been consistent all season,” Elliott said. “They competed well. Charlene has done a really nice job, especially since she is a track runner, and she really isn’t used to cross country.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams will enjoy a weekend off before returning to action Nov. 14 at the NCAA South Central Regionals in Waco, Texas.
Men’s Results
1, Alabama, 56
2, Arkansas, 61
3, Auburn, 86
4, Florida, 120
5, Georgia, 133
6, Tennessee, 142
7, Kentucky, 152
8, Ms. State., 220
9, Ole Miss, 249
10, Vanderbilt, 282
11, LSU, 321
Men’s Finishers (Winner then LSU)
1, Barnabus Kiuri, Ole Miss, 24:24.75. 71, Cullen Doody, 27:55.92. 75, Kyle Hecker, 28:19.59. 78, Sean Swanner, 28:39.48. 79, Kenneth Schiffman, 28:40.18. 80, Ken Ehrhardt, 28:43.05. 81, Paras Shah, 28:45.73.82, Luke Dessauer, 28:54.22. 83, Frank Bohn, 29:00.40. 86, Timothy Landry, 29:11.51.
Women’s Results
1, Florida, 24
2, Tennessee, 80
3, Arkansas, 87
4, Georgia, 118
5, Alabama, 141
6, Vanderbilt, 142
7, Auburn, 151
8, Kentucky, 175
9, S. Carolina, 246
10, Ms. State., 276
11, LSU, 335
12, Ole Miss, 338
Women’s Finishers (Winner then LSU)
1, Rebecca Lowe, UF, 20:57, 35. 63, Charlene Lipsey, 23:38.38. 67, Katie Hamel, 23:46.92. 70, Laura Carleton, 23:56.63. 85, Jenna Henssler, 24:48.5 92, Amal Esmail, 25:29.78 95, Lauren Ybarzabal, 25:46.41. 98, Amber Abbott, 26:57.23. 101, Jessica Deutsch, 29:18.29.
