Speaks named league's XC Men's Athlete of Week
10/20/2015 3:12:00 PM | Cross Country
Sam Houston State's Chris Speaks has been named Southland Conference Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week following a 10th place finish among the nation's best on Friday from Alabama's Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Coldspring-Oakhurst High School product recorded a time of 24:46.68 in the 8,042-meter run, while recording his third top-10 finish in as many races. The junior was bested only by foes from Oklahoma State, Alabama, Samford, Texas A&M and South Alabama among the field of 218 competitors.
“This was the first major race Chris has competed in this year and he responded nicely to the level of competition,” head coach Jesse Parker said. “There were several potential All-Americans in the race and Chris was able to compete with them on a very tough, hilly course. Hopefully this will be a sign for things to come as we get into the championship season.”
In his last competition, Speaks captured runner-up in the 8k run at the Longhorn Invitational behind a time of 25:23.6, falling just four-tenths of a second short of champion Jacob Pickle of Texas. The Coldsprings native posted the top finish at the Southland Conference Preview in the 4k (19:52.5) on Sept. 12.
The Sam Houston men took 14th among the 23-team field behind 343 points. The squad bested notable names such as Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Louisiana Tech and Memphis, in one of the country's premier cross country competitions.
The Classic marked the final regular-season run for Sam Houston as the squad readies to host the Southland Conference Championships on Oct. 30 from Huntsville's Kate Barr Ross Memorial Park. For the latest, follow @SHSU_TFXC on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
