Men's Cross Country Week That Was: Week 11
11/4/2008 12:00:00 AM
Nov. 4, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama men's cross country coach Joe Walker led the No. 5 nationally ranked Crimson Tide through their 11th week of practice and the SEC Championships. The squad brought home the title for the first time since 1973.
Alabama is the first school to win the conference title since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991. The Hogs had won every title for 17 straight years and 34 straight including the former Southwestern Conference.
The team will take a few days to rest and stick to easy runs to get healthy before they have to compete in two weeks at the NCAA South Region Championships where they are the defending champions.
"The team feels good coming off the conference title," Walker said. "When you get so `up' for a performance there is a little bit of a resulting `down' afterwards so we will be sure to take a few light days in training."
The Crimson Tide felt like they were the best team in the conference and feel like they have now proved that point. Now they want to prove they are the best in the region and the nation.
"We truly felt we had the best team in the league and just had to prove it on that given day," Walker said. "Expectations are still the same as we go into Regionals and nationals."
The Tide will take a week off before making the trip to Knoxville, Tenn. for the NCAA South Regional Championships hosted by The University of Tennessee.
