CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's cross country program will add five new faces to its program this fall. Head Coach Bill Gautier adds four freshmen and one transfer to the roster that will fight for the Southern Conference title in November.
Brennan Huber, a transfer from Tennessee Tech, begins his third collegiate season with the Mocs, anchoring a very youthful recruiting class. Huber placed second in every meet last year for the Golden Eagles and entered the school record books with four of the school's top times in the 8K. His time of 25:05.41 at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships ranks third all-time in TTU history. He won the team's Most Improved Runner Award and received the Academic Award.
He is a 2013 graduate of Greenbrier High School and a four-year letterwinner in cross country and track and field. He claimed the state title in the 800 meter run his senior year and was a member of the second place 4x800 meter relay team as a junior. He helped lead the cross country team to a second place finish in his junior year and won the team's Most Athletic Award.
"Brennan caps off a very strong, but youthful recruiting class," Gautier said. "He will bring some needed maturity to the program."
Along with Huber, Gautier added freshman Mark Britt (Lebanon High School), John Payne (Portland High School) and Richard Guiry and Jack Strevall of Ravenwood High School.
Britt is an all-state performer in the 3200 meter and recorded a PR time of 9:25 in the event. He is a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Brock Scholar. Payne, who plans to major in Engineering at UTC, holds a PR of 9:19 in the 3200m and has a 4:21 in the 1500m. He placed third in the prestigious Foot Locker Senior Boyss race with a time of 15:57 in the 5K. He was named to the Foot Locker All-Southern Team.
Ravenwood teammates Guiry and Strevall make their way to Chattanooga after helping their team to a fourth place finish at the Tennessee State cross country championships. Guiry finished 17th in the race while Strevall was 26th overall. Guiry also was a member of the 4x800 meter all-state relay team and has a PR of 9:39 in the 3200.
"Ravenwood is a well-coached program," Gautier said. "It is a program that knows how to win and we're happy to have them on our team.
"Overall we have a very youthful and surprisingly strong class of recruits this year."
