Summerside Named SEC Cross Country Athlete of the Week

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Junior Seth Summerside earned Southeastern Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors after he was Arkansas’ top finisher at the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin, Mo., over the weekend.

“This is a nice honor for Seth,” Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said. “He’s a great competitor and has really been running well. I hope this is only the beginning of good things to come for him.”

The competition was the Joplin, Mo., native’s first 8K race as a Razorback and he gained runner-up honors in a field of over 300 athletes. After he crossed the finish line he had recorded a personal-best time of 24:09 and that clocking is currently ranked No. 1 in the SEC. His fantastic performance also helped lead five other Hogs to finish in the top 10 as Arkansas easily took the team title with 23 points.

This week’s league accolade is the first of Summerside’s career as a UA athlete. He did not compete during the 2004 cross country campaign as a transfer from Missouri-Kansas City, but came on strong during the indoor and outdoor track seasons.

The Iona College Meet of Champions is next on the schedule for Arkansas. The Hogs will travel to New York, N.Y., for the challenging 8K race on Sept. 24.