Razorbacks Take Half Of SEC Postseason Honors

November 8, 2017

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The sixth-ranked Arkansas cross country team picked up two of the four Southeastern Conference postseason awards in recognition of the program’s dominant title performance at the 2017 championship meet.

Lauren Gregory | SEC Freshman of the Year
After being just the third athlete to win three SEC Freshman Runner of the Week awards from the SEC, Lauren Gregory has been named SEC Freshman of the Year following her top-ten finish at the SEC Championships. Gregory finished as the top overall freshman in two of her four races this season, while finishing as the fastest Razorback at Joe Piane. She is the eighth Razorback to win the award since 2000, and follows in the footsteps of then freshman Abby Gray who won the award in 2016.

Gregory’s Results (Overall):
Riverside Invitational 6K- 9th (20:17.20)
Joe Piane Invitational 5K- 21st (16.49.80)
Pre-Nationals 6K- 39th (20:32.70)
SEC Championships 6K- 8th (20:41.20)

Lance Harter | SEC Coach of the Year
Responsible for coaching the young group to success, head coach Lance Harter has been named the SEC Coach of the Year for the 18^th time of his career. The winningest coach in conference history, Harter’s talented squad featured a solid mix of both young and veteran runners, boasting three underclassmen in his top seven at the conference meet. Seven runners earned All-SEC recognition including three on the first team.

Harter’s SEC Legacy

18-time SEC Cross Country Champions
18-time SEC Coach of the Year
16 SEC Individual Champions
Eight SEC Freshman of the Year

All-SEC Razorbacks

First Team
Taylor Werner
Carina Viljoen
Therese Haiss

Second Team
Lauren Gregory
Nikki Hiltz
Ashton Endsley

All-Freshman Team
Lauren Gregory
Ashton Endsley

SEC Awards
Women’s Runner of the Year: Karissa Schweizer, Missouri
Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Katy Kunc, Kentucky
Women’s Freshman Runner of the Year: Lauren Gregory, Arkansas
Women’s Coach of the Year, Lance Harter, Arkansas

Up Next
The Razorbacks travel to College Station, Texas for the NCAA Division I South Central Regional Championships. The women’s race begins at 9:15 a.m. with the men’s race following at 10:15 a.m.

2017 Cross Country Schedule
Fri, Sept. 1 – Cowboy Duals (Stillwater, Okla.) 2^nd of 4
Sat, Sept. 16 – Riverside Invitational (Riverside, Calif.) 1^st of 29
Sat, Sept. 16 – Southern Stampede (Joplin, Mo.) 5^th of 32
Fri, Sept. 29 – Joe Piane/Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.) 4^th of 20
Sat, Sept. 30 – Chile Pepper Festival (Agri Park) 1^st of 45
Sat, Oct. 14 – Pre-Nationals (Louisville, Ky.) | 1^st of 43
Fri, Oct. 27 – SEC Championship (Athens, Ga.) | 1^st of 14
Fri, Nov. 10 – NCAA South Central Regional (College Station, Texas)
Sat, Nov. 18 – NCAA Championship (Louisville, Ky.)

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.