BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas A&M’s Henry Lelei and Kentucky’s Cally Macumber were named the 2012 Southeastern Conference Cross Country Runners of the Year to highlight the 2012 SEC cross country awards, announced Friday morning. The awards were determined by a vote of the league’s cross country coaches.
Lelei was named the Men’s Runner of the Year, while Macumber was honored as the Women’s Runner of the Year. Arkansas’ Cale Wallace earned SEC Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year honors, while Vanderbilt’s Hannah Jumper garnered SEC Women’s Freshman Runner of the Year recognition. Arkansas’ Chris Bucknam and Florida’s Paul Spangler were named the SEC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coaches of the Year, respectively.
Lelei won the individual men’s title at the SEC Championship, bettering the field – which included defending champion Eric Fernandez of Arkansas, by 17.5 seconds. His time of 23:29.95 over the 8K course was the fifth-fastest winning time at an SEC meet since the 8K distance was first used in 1986 and bettered the previous course record of 24:10.60. He helped lead the Aggies to a third-place team finish with Missouri. During the season, he earned three SEC Runner of the Week honors.
Macumber claimed the individual women’s title at the SEC Championship, winning the 6K race in a time of 20:23.29. She became the first Kentucky athlete to win an individual SEC cross country title since Valerie McGovern did so in 1989. She finished among the top-10 in each of the meets in which she competed this season and was a two-time SEC Runner of the Week. She finished the year as the SEC leader at both the 5K and 6K distances.
Wallace was the top-finishing men’s freshman at the SEC Championship, placing 14th overall as the only freshman to finish inside the top 30 at the league meet. He logged an 8K career-best time of 24:17.79. Through the first four races of his collegiate career, Wallace finished within the Razorback scoring lineup on three occasions. He is the first Arkansas athlete to earn the honor since Bryan Cantero accomplished the feat in 2010.
Jumper was the top-finishing women’s freshman at the SEC Championship, placing seventh overall. She clocked a time of 20:41.72 to finish better than 12 seconds ahead of the next freshman. She helped lead her Vanderbilt team to a third-place finish at the league championship. She has been in the Commodores’ top four all season long. Jumper is the first Vanderbilt athlete ever to garner the honor.
Bucknam was named the SEC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year after leading the Arkansas men to their 20th SEC title in the last 22 seasons. The Razorbacks scored 35 total team points and placed three of their runners in the meet’s top-four.
Spangler is in his first season as Florida’s assistant coach for distance and cross country and led the Gators to their third SEC women’s cross country title in the last four seasons. The Gators scored 61 total team points and placed three runners among the race’s top 15.
For all of the latest information on SEC Cross Country, please log on to www.SECDigitalNetwork.com or follow @SEC_Sean on Twitter.
2012 SEC Cross Country Awards
Men's Runner of the Year: Henry Lelei, Texas A&M
Men's Freshman Runner of the Year: Cale Wallace, Arkansas
Men's Coach of the Year: Chris Bucknam, Arkansas
Women's Runner of the Year: Cally Macumber, Kentucky
Women's Freshman Runner of the Year: Hannah Jumper, Vanderbilt
Women's Coach of the Year: Paul Spangler, Florida
Men’s All-SEC First Team
Henry Lelei, Texas A&M
Solomon Haile, Arkansas
Eric Fernandez, Arkansas
Kemoy Campbell, Arkansas
Matt Cleaver, Georgia
Peter Okwera, Tennessee
Mark Parrish, Florida
Men’s All-SEC Second Team
Hayden Legg, Missouri
Max Storms, Missouri
Luis Orta, Kentucky
Bryant Blahnik, Missouri
Layne Nixon, Arkansas
Brandon Lord, Georgia
Cale Wallace, Arkansas
Men’s SEC All-Freshman Team
Cale Wallace, Arkansas
Joe McKenna, Missouri
Evan Chiplock, Missouri
Sid Vaughn, Georgia
Tyler Schneider, Missouri
Phil Duncan, Florida
Steven Spevacek, Georgia
Women’s All-SEC First Team
Cally Macumber, Kentucky
Florence Ngetich, Florida
Chelsea Oswald, Kentucky
Carly Hamilton, Georgia
Grace Heymsfield, Arkansas
Agata Strausa, Florida
Hannah Jumper, Vanderbilt
Women’s All-SEC Second Team
Kristen Findley, Vanderbilt
Katie Breathitt, Ole Miss
Andrina Schlaepfer, Arkansas
Diane Robison, Arkansas
Laura Carleton, LSU
Kayla Lampe, South Carolina
Callie Cooper, Florida
Women’s SEC All-Freshman Team
Hannah Jumper, Vanderbilt
Andrina Schlaepfer, Arkansas
Kayla Lampe, South Carolina
Katelyn Greenleaf, Alabama
Shelby Davidson, Florida
Alexis Panisse, Tennessee
Julie Macedo, Florida