AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn cross country team will compete at the 2022 Southeastern Conference Championships Friday morning at FNC Park in Oxford, Mississippi. The women's 6k race will begin at 10:08 a.m. CT with the men's 8k to follow at 10:50 a.m. CT.
"I thought last week we got a little bit better as a group and these two weeks of training I feel like we are in a great position with this team," said Coach Aaron Kindt. "But putting it all together is still something we are working on."
For the Auburn men, it has been sophomores Ryan Kinnane and Carson Bedics leading the way. Kinnane has taken the top spot for the Tigers finishing in the top-10 at the Alabama Crimson Classic, Live in Lou Classic, and North Alabama Showcase. Bedics improved on his personal best by almost a minute in Louisville, KY. as the second Tiger across the line. The duo will be competing in their third SEC Championships.
"The men are very young and a little up and down this year, but a group that works really hard and is dedicated to their craft," said Kindt. "Overall, both groups have taken big steps forward and I am really encouraged going into this weekend."
The front runners on the women's side are junior Samantha Rogers and freshman Gené Coetzee. Rogers is coming off a big performance and new personal best in the women's 5k race at the Live in Lou Classic. The duo will be competing in their third and first SEC Championships, respectfully.
The women's team has notched a spot in the top-5 team standings at all four of the previous meets. The Tigers began the season with a first-place finish at the Foothills Invitational and a runner-up performance most recently at the Crimson Classic.
"This has been a very exciting year for them," Kindt said. "A testament to how hard this group worked over the summer."
A total of 16 Tigers are set to compete for the conference's top honors in Oxford. Making the trip for the men will be junior Dustyn Lewis, sophomores Benson Atkins, Cooper Atkins, Bedics, Mark Foster, Kinnane, and Louis O'Loughlin and freshman Isaiah Billingsley and Joseph Perry. For the women, it will be seniors Sara Pacer and Hannah Tarwater, junior Rogers, sophomores Hannah Thuss and Hallie Porterfield, and freshman Coetzee and Hailey Marston.
"We want to be better than we were last year," said Kindt. "And I definitely think we are on that track."
The event will be televised live on the SEC Network and streaming on ESPN app.
Live timing will be available at https://live.deltatiming.com/meets/18235.