The Tennessee Volunteers cross country program represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The men's program competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The men's cross country team officially started in 1924.
Coaching staff Entering the 2011-2012 school year, George Watts had been head coach of University of Tennessee cross country team for 26 years. Under his mentor he has developed 25 All-SEC citations, 13 All-SEC or All-South Region, three SEC All-Freshman honorees and three All-America performers. In July 2011 it was announced that Watts had been released and that J.J. Clark would take over the men's cross country team effectively merging all of Tennessee's track & field and cross country programs. J.J. Clark was highly unsuccessful as he never guided the team above a 5th place SEC finish or a trip to the NCAA Championships.
In May 2014, it was announced by Athletic Director Dave Hart that Director of Track and Field/Cross Country JJ Clark would not be retained. Later, in June 2014, it was announced that Beth Alford-Sullivan would be the next Director of Track and Field/Cross Country at the University of Tennessee. This hire made her the first female SEC coach of any men's team. Tennessee's NCAA Championship drought and struggles in SEC play continued under Alford-Sullivan's tenure until she was fired in May 2022.
Former Notre Dame coach Sean Carlson was hired to lead the men's and women's cross country teams and the distance runners. In Carlson's first year as head coach, he led them to their best finish (2nd) at the SEC Championships since 1999, their first NCAA South Regional title since 2002 (where they outperformed SEC Champion Alabama by 34 points), and returned the Vols to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2005, where they finished 20th. Following a second South Regional title and return to the NCAA Championships in 2023, Carlson was named the USTFCCCA South Region men's coach of the year.
Team history The Tennessee Volunteers program began competing in 1924. It was not until 1962 that the team gained its first coach, Chuck Rohe. Under his guidance the Vols reached new heights winning multiple SEC regular season and tournament championships. Under his guidance the Vols reached their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1963 where they finished 5th, he would then lead the team to four more NCAA appearances until he left the team in 1968. The team found more success with the hire of Stan Huntsman who led UT to many trips to the NCAA Tournament and won the Volunteers their first and only national title. From 1962-2009 the team has amassed a 201-38-1 record in team dual meets earning them a .840 winning percentage.
Home courses The Lambert Acres Golf Club was previously the site of home cross country meets for the Volunteers from 1998-2013. The course still serves as a 27-hole golf course, and is nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and boasts 9,525 yards. Throughout its run, the course hosted the Tennessee Invitational 10 times, the NCAA South Regional in 2002, 2006 and 2008, and Southeastern Conference Championship in 1998. In 2014, the Vols moved much closer to home with the opening of the new Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course on Alcoa highway across the Tennessee River from the main UT campus. The course served as the practice venue for the team in 2014 and 2015, before finally serving in competition for the 2016 season. The course has two loops, one that is 2k and the other is 1k. The course was designed specifically for viewers to use the small loop, where it is ensured that runners have to pass the same point at least three times in a race.
Year-by-Year results
*Through November 11, 2022. *Note: records from 1924-1961 are inaccurate Sources
Year-by-Year ResultsYearHead CoachConferenceMeet NCAARegionalNCAAMeetSouthern Conference1924-1928 Records Incomplete1929–T–4th––1930–T–5th––1931–3rd (100)––1932–4th (125)––Southeastern Conference1933-1945 Records Incomplete1946–2nd (44)––1947–2nd (73)––1948–4th (79)––1949–1st (48)––1950–1st (30)––1951–1st (18)–6th (195)1952–1st (30)––1953–5th (125)––1954–2nd (46)––1955–4th (79)––1956–1st (26)––1957 Records Incomplete1958–3rd (94)––1959–4th (94)––1960-1961 Records Incomplete 1962 Chuck Rohe 5th (114)– – 1963 Chuck Rohe 1st (15)– – 1964 Chuck Rohe –– 11th (290) 1965 Chuck Rohe 1st (15)1st (22) 3rd (137) 1966 Chuck Rohe 1st (39)2nd (50) 24th (519) 1967 Chuck Rohe 1st (28)2nd (50) 12th (286) 1968 Chuck Rohe 1st (30)1st (37) 17th (360) 1969 Connie Smith 1st (34)3rd (102) 18th (445) 1970 Connie Smith 3rd (47)2nd (68) – 1971 Stan Huntsman1st (48)4th (93) 21st (478) 1972 Stan Huntsman1st (35)4th (123)1st (134) 1973 Stan Huntsman2nd (47)3rd (98) 13th (286) 1974 Stan Huntsman1st (44)8th (145) – 1975 Stan Huntsman1st (38)1st (53) 16th (381) 1976 Stan Huntsman1st (32)1st (62) 6th (280) 1977 Stan Huntsman1st (23)2nd (75) 8th (260) 1978 Stan Huntsman1st (24)1st (35) 6th (247) 1979 Stan Huntsman4th (89)9th (248) – 1980 Stan Huntsman2nd (64)5th (153) 18th (457) 1981 Stan Huntsman1st (38)2nd (91) 19th (417) 1982 Stan Huntsman1st (47)4th (141) 13th (302) 1983 Stan Huntsman1st (31)4th (130) 10th (291) 1984 Stan Huntsman1st (38)2nd (98) 3rd (144) 1985 Doug Brown 1st (44)2nd (109) 13th (345) 1986 Doug Brown 2nd (46)2nd (123) 14th (329) 1987 Doug Brown 2nd (63)4th (157) – 1988 Doug Brown 2nd (39)1st (85) 3rd (177) 1989 Doug Brown 1st (57)2nd (130) 17th (353) 1990 Doug Brown 1st (52)2nd (111) 7th (235) 1991 Doug Brown 2nd (88)4th (167) 21st (420) 1992 Doug Brown 2nd (96)10th (299) – 1993 Doug Brown 2nd (75)3rd (144) 18th (409) 1994 Doug Brown 2nd (42)T–1st (133) 12th (294) 1995 George Watts 2nd (58)1st (61) 12th (272) 1996 George Watts 3rd (92)5th (178) – 1997 George Watts 5th (124)4th (164) – 1998 George Watts 2nd (63)2nd (92) T–21st (501) 1999 George Watts 2nd (59)3rd (113) – 2000 George Watts 7th (163)5th (139) – 2001 George Watts 3rd (92)2nd (84) 30th (722) 2002 George Watts 4th (105)1st (51) 31st (647) 2003 George Watts 6th (141)4th (125) – 2004 George Watts 5th (124)6th (160) – 2005 George Watts 4th (93)4th (100) 28th (604) 2006 George Watts 4th (121)4th (108) – 2007 George Watts 4th (102)8th (178) – 2008 George Watts 5th (130)5th (156) – 2009 George Watts 6th (142)6th (178) – 2010 George Watts 4th (132)4th (150) – 2011 J.J. Clark T–5th (169)12th (341) – 2012 J.J. Clark 7th (217)8th (250) – 2013 J.J. Clark 7th (187)5th (181) – 2014 Beth Alford-Sullivan 7th (205)10th (262) – 2015 Beth Alford-Sullivan 11th (301)T–9th (296) – 2016 Beth Alford-Sullivan 9th (278)10th (300) – 2017 Beth Alford-Sullivan 5th (125)5th (165) – 2018 Beth Alford-Sullivan 4th (132)3rd (108) – 2019 Beth Alford-Sullivan 9th (221)12th (320) – 2020 Beth Alford-Sullivan 4th (123)N/A – 2021 Beth Alford-Sullivan 5th (169)7th (228) – 2022 Sean Carlson T–2nd (64)1st (39) 20th (517)2023Sean Carlson3rd (59) 1st (68)26th (556) Total25111 Note: In 2020, due to COVID-19, the cross country season was shortened, and NCAA regionals were not held, as teams advanced straight to the championships.
All-Americans
Tennessee has a total of 17 men's cross country All-Americans
Ron Addison, 1976 Jamie Barnes, 1991 Doug Brown, 1972, 1973 Tony Cosey, 1994, 1995 Rick Cummins, 1988 Pat Davey, 1978 Doug Ellington, 1998 Stewart Ellington, 1994 Alf Holmberg, 1951 David Krafsur, 1985 Glenn Morgan, 1989, 1990 Peter Okwera, 2012 Rickey Pittman, 1981 Bob Redington, 1965 Zach Sabatino, 2005 Doug Tolson, 1983, 1984 George Watts, 1977 Todd Williams, 1988, 1989, 1990
See also Tennessee men's track and field Tennessee women's track and field Tennessee women's cross country
References
External links