Ex-Chamberlain standout Parrish named SEC Co-Runner of the Week

Posted Oct 20, 2011 by Bill Ward

Updated Oct 20, 2011 at 03:47 PM

Former Chamberlain distance running star Mark Parrish, now a sophomore at the University of Florida, was named co-SEC Men’s Runner of the Week after his performance last weekend at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational in Madison, Wisc.

It’s the second time of Parrrish’s career at UF to earn recognition from the conference office (last year he earned Freshman of the Week honors) and his first time this season. And considering he is just now gettin back to form following a bicycle accident earlier this season, the award is especially sweet for Parrish.

In the most competitive field Parrish and the Gators hace faced this fall, Parrish finished as their No. 1 man. He covered the 8-kilometer course in a personal best time of 24 minutes, 29 seconds, to finish 47th overall. Parrish currently holds the fifth-best 8k time in the SEC this season after leading UF in the 39-team field at the Wisconsin meet, where 20 of the squads came in ranked in the top 30 of the USTFCCCA poll.

Parrish was one of just 11 underclassmen in the meet who placed in the top 50. A total of 270 runners competed in th race. Parrish missed the early part of the season after being hit on his bike by a car, which resulted in some bruising and a sprained ankle.