University of Tennessee Athletics
Walter Named SEC Freshman Of The Week
September 18, 2012 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Southeastern Conference released its weekly cross country awards on Tuesday, and Big Orange harrier Kyle Walter has been named the Men's Freshman Runner of the Week for his performance at Saturday's Vanderbilt Commodore Classic.
The redshirt freshman helped lead the Vol cross country team to a third place finish at the event, posting a personal-best time of 25 minutes, 11.35 seconds in the 8,000-meter race.
Walter, who finished 17th overall, was the leading freshman from the SEC and was the second rookie to finish in a 199-runner field at Percy Warner Park on Saturday. The Big Orange bested all six conference teams competing at the Commodore Classic.
The Knoxville native has now scored in both matches for UT this season after posting a 15th-place finish at the Belmont Opener with a personal-best 5K time of 15:53.50.
The Orange & White compiled 121 total points at the 24-team event. Sophomore transfer Peter Okwera led the Vols, navigating the 8K course in 24:36.49, just .34 seconds behind the race winner. Okwera, who placed second, now has two top-three finishes in as many races this season.
The UT cross country teams are back in action on Friday, Sept. 28 when they travel to Bethlehem, Pa., to compete in the Brooks/Paul Short Run, an event hosted by Lehigh University.
For more information about the Tennessee harriers, visit UTSports.com and follow @Vol_Track on Twitter.
