The LSU cross country team will compete in the Southeastern Conference Championship meet today at Hilton Field at Fort Jackson in S.C.
LSU hasn’t finished in the top five at the conference meet on either the men’s or women’s side since the men finished fourth in 2000.
Both the men and women finished 11th in 2009, while the Alabama men and Florida women took home top honors.
LSU coach Mark Elliott said he has seen his team improve from a year ago.
“We definitely have a better group of runners than we had last year,” Elliott said. “It’s kind of raised our expectations a little bit more to see where we can be even more competitive in the conference.”
That improvement has translated into better results this season.
LSU has earned three second-place finishes on the men’s side and two second-place finishes by the women. The men and women finished 25th and 26th, respectively, at the Chile Pepper Invitational on Oct. 16.
Individually, junior Richard Chautin has had the most success for LSU this year, leading all Tiger runners in every race this season. Chautin won the individual title at the Mississippi State Invitational on Sept. 18 and recorded two other top-five finishes.
Chautin’s stiffest competition may come from Ole Miss senior Barnabas Kirui, who is competing for his third individual SEC title.
The Kenyan-born runner took home the title in 2006 and 2009 and has been named the SEC Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week twice this year.
Twelve women’s teams and 11 men’s teams will compete at the meet. South Carolina does not have a men’s team.
Three SEC men’s teams were ranked in the latest poll by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. No. 10 Arkansas leads the way and is joined by No. 26 Florida and No. 27 Alabama.
 
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]