Clark hoping cross country team peaks for SEC

Two-legged athletes take the stage Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the occasion being the SEC cross country championships.

Sarah Bowman leads a depleted Tennessee women’s contingent. The UT men will be shooting for a third consecutive fourth-place finish.

The Lady Vols, who last won the title in 2005, haven’t been able to field the complete team coach J.J. Clark had in mind but nevertheless hope to peak for the SEC meet.

“We’ve had a rough road getting to this point,’’ Clark said, “but I feel, all in all, we’ve moved forward.

“We’ve seen Sarah, Katie (Van Horn) and Jackie (Areson) run some solid races, especially last week at Penn State. We have to find a way to put a few more people up there with that group.’’

The candidates are Rolanda Bell, freshman Brittany Steffey or Phoebe Wright. BYU transfer Heidi Magill-Dahl has yet to race this season but could make her debut Saturday.

Bowman’s track record this season suggests Clark can count on the junior to set the tone.

Andrew Press has been the consistent leader for UT’s men. Juniors Denton Jones and Steve Tobin and freshman Michael Spooner have also scored in all four meets this fall.

“Our training has gone exceptionally well,’’ said coach George Watts, “and I expect us to run our best race of the season.’’