It has been 12 years since the women's cross country team has won a Southeastern Conference title.
"They put enough pressure on themselves," coach Todd Morgan said. "They know SEC titles are never easy to win and so it is going to be a fight, but they are ready for it this weekend."
The No. 5 women's team was a preseason favorite to win the conference title, and now the Gators will have a chance to make good on that projection as they travel to Oxford, Miss., to compete in the SEC Championship on Saturday.
After finishing two runners in the top 10 at the Pre-NCAA Invitational on Oct. 17 and finishing in second place at the meet, the Gators realize the goals they set out at the beginning of the season can be accomplished.
Morgan prohibited his players from talking to the media this week in an effort to keep them away from the hype and focused on the task at hand.
The runners are focused on the SEC Championship on Saturday as well as the South Regional meet on Nov. 14 and the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23, Morgan said.
The team finished second at the 2008 SEC Championship but want to place higher than that this season with the addition of three new runners.
Graduate student Stacey Johnson, whose eighth-place finish at the Pre-NCAA meet was the best on the team, will run in her first SEC Championship meet, along with freshmen Sydney Devore and Mandy Perkins.
"Most of our girls are running the best they have ever run," Morgan said. "We have several that could be our first girl across the line on any given day. There is a lot of talent on that roster."
Although the women's team has many talented athletes, Morgan said Arkansas and Tennessee are two teams that are capable of winning the race on Saturday.
Arkansas, who was the only other team to receive first-place votes in the SEC Cross Country Coaches' Poll, was projected to finish in second while Tennessee came in third during the preseason poll.
The Gators will have a week off after the SEC Championship before the NCAA South Regional meet in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
