University of Georgia Athletics
Madebach Wins UGA's First SEC Individual Cross Country Title
October 27, 2007 | Cross Country
Boosted by Madebach’s finish, the No. 29 Lady Bulldogs finished third, which marked the fifth straight time the Georgia women have taken third place or better, and the Georgia men managed seventh.
“My hat’s off to Arkansas for running a great race and Tennessee was clutch today too,” said cross country coach Dave Hartman. “I was pleased with our race today. Our women ran with a lot of emotion and determination today and we had several girls run great all-around races today. We are looking forward to the regionals now.”
Madebach, a native of Augusta, Ga., clocked a 20:49.11 (second-best time of the season) to win the first individual cross country title in school history. She was able to hold off Arkansas’ Christine Kalmer (20:53.02) by almost 4 seconds. Finishing less than 2 seconds behind Kalmer for third was Georgia senior Natalie Picchetti. Both Madebach and Picchetti earned All-SEC honors for their performances.
Madebach, who won the 2007 SEC 3000-meter steeplechase crown during the spring, finished 19th overall at the 2006 conference meet and was the third Lady Bulldogs across the finish line at the NCAA Championships last season.
“At the beginning of the race, we had talked about Sarah running a conservative race in order to score some points for the team,” said Hartman. “When she got the second half of the race, she was feeling good and I gave her the green light to go and she did exactly that. She remained controlled throughout the whole race and I am really proud of Sarah winning Georgia its first SEC individual title in cross country.”
Also finishing near the front of the pack for the Lady Bulldogs was Picchetti, who took third with a season-best time of 20:55.93. Thanks to these finishes and Georgia’s other three scorers, the Lady Bulldogs (85 points) finished third behind Arkansas (39) and Tennessee (85). Florida (96) and Kentucky (104) took fourth and fifth, respectively, in the women’s 6K.
In the first race of the day, the Georgia men finished seventh after scoring 177 points in the 8K race. Arkansas won its 17th SEC cross country title in a row after scoring 36 points with Florida (74), Alabama (82), Tennessee (102) and Mississippi State (138) rounding out the top five teams.
For the fifth time in 2007, senior Ryley Miller led the Bulldogs after taking 18th place (24:55.57) and senior Ross Ridgewell, who competed at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 800-meter run, finished second for the Georgia men (37th 25:30.18).
The Bulldogs’ next three finishers were a pair of seniors and a junior. Senior Matthew Roberson clocked a 25:38.10 to take 43rd at the league meet and junior Bejan Abtahi registered his fifth straight season-best time (25:40.60) to finish 46th. Georgia’s final scorer was senior Charlie Dickhaus, who crossed the finish line in 25:58.07 (which was less than a second off his season-best performance).
After finishing fifth in 2006, the Bulldogs’ finish was their lowest since 1996 when the Georgia men took ninth.
“I was pleased that the men showed a lot of heart today,” Hartman said. “They put themselves in good positions to be successful and I thought their effort and determination today was the best it has been all season long.”
Both Georgia squads will return to action at the NCAA South Regionals in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday, Nov. 10. The Lady Bulldogs won the program’s first South Regional title in 2006.
Georgia Finishers - MEN
Place Name Time
18th Ryley Miller 24:55.57
37th Ross Ridgewell 25:30.18
43rd Matthew Roberson 25:38.10
46th Bejan Abtahi 25:40.60
54th Charlie Dickhaus 25:58.07
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57th Corey Hunter 26:02.30
62nd Caleb Vogt 26:07.59
65th Jesse Marino 26:13.55
66th Dustin Tetley 26:18.27
70th Nathan Frasier 26:24.89
WOMEN
Place Name Time
1st Sarah Madebach*$ 20:49.11
3rd Natalie Picchetti* 20:55.93
15th Kiah Vernon 21:26.43
32nd Emily Houston 21:50.25
36th Nicole DeMarco 22:00.00
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39th Jill Skinner 22:03.39
42nd Kylie Foley 22:13.34
46th Whitni Wonderlin 22:23.87
52nd Katie Weise 22:50.13
53rd Bridget Lyons 22:54.88
* - All-SEC; $ - SEC Champion
Names below the dotted line did not score for Georgia
Team Finishes WOMEN
1. Arkansas (39 points)
2. Tennessee (84)
3. Georgia (85)
4. Florida (96)
5. Kentucky (104)
6. Auburn (171)
7. Mississippi State (209)
8. Vanderbilt (217)
9. LSU (259)
10. Alabama (275)
11. South Carolina (290)
12. Ole Miss (352)
MEN
1. Arkansas (36 points)
2. Florida (74)
3. Alabama (82)
4. Tennessee (102)
5. Mississippi State (138)
6. Auburn (158)
7. Georgia (177)
8. LSU (180)
9. Kentucky (214)
10. Vanderbilt (302)
