Women's cross country takes top spot
Razorback men picked to finish second
Matt Watson
Issue date: 9/12/08 Section: Sports
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Arkansas received nine of the 12 first-place votes. Florida was picked second and Tennessee third.
The women have won three straight conference meets and return 10 members from last year's championship team, including seniors Christine Kalmer and Denise Bargiachi and sophomore Jillian Rosen, all of whom finished in the top six at the 2007 SEC meet.
Arkansas finished 13th at nationals last season and kicked off this season with a perfect score in its victory over Missouri State at the Arkansas Dual.
The women return to action Saturday at 9 a.m. with the Aztec Invitational, hosted by San Diego State. Arkansas is the three-time defending champion at the Aztec dating back to 2005.
Defending champs predicted runner-up
If the cross country Hogs win the 2008 Southeastern Conference championship for the 18th straight year, they will do is as underdogs.
The SEC coaches picked Arkansas to finish runner-up to Alabama, which garnered seven first-place votes in the coaches poll. The Hogs received two votes for the top spot.
The last time the Razorbacks didn't win the SEC meet was 1990, before exiting the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Sophomore Lane Boyer, who led the Hogs to victory in their season-opening meet last weekend at the Arkansas Dual, was 17 months old at the time.
New head coach Chris Bucknam has the tough task of extending the program's conference championship streak to 35, dating back to the Hogs' SWC days.
In 2007 Arkansas won the SEC meet by 38 points over runner-up Florida. Alabama finished third, but then-sophomore Emmanuel Bor was the individual winner of the race for the Crimson Tide.
Three of the five Razorbacks that scored points at last season's meet have since graduated, but the Hogs added three upperclassmen this season who will run cross country at Arkansas for the first time.
Seniors Alex and Andy McClary and James Strang ran indoor and outdoor track last year, with Andy McClary and Strang garnering All-American status in the mile and 10,000 meters, respectively.
The Razorbacks will begin their conference title defense Sept. 20 at the Missouri Southern Stampede.
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