Oct. 29, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina cross country team heads to Oxford, Miss., for the 2009 SEC Cross Country Championships that will be held Saturday at the Ole Miss Golf Course.
The women’s 6K race will begin at 11 a.m. following the men’s race. At the meet, the Gamecocks will face some of the top teams in the country including No. 5 Florida and No. 29 Arkansas. Competition also includes regionally ranked Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Kentucky in addition to the other three conference teams.
The Gamecocks took 10th at the 2008 SEC Cross Country Championships with 262 points, falling 10 points shy of a ninth-place finish. However, the finish was an improvement of the 11th place earned in 2007, and the team will look to jump another spot this season.
PROJECTED TOP FIVE GAMECOCK RUNNERS
Dani Barnes – Senior – Placed 11th at Princeton Invitational despite coming back from shin injury
Beatrice Biwott – Sophomore – Took third at Princeton Invitational
Ashley Evens – Junior – Ran a PR at Princeton and is peaking at the right time
Tatum Tyler – Freshman – Freshman has been a top five runner in all four races and set a PR at Charlotte
Laura Pramstaller – Junior – Missed the 2008 cross country season but has run strong this year
Second Group: Laura Beggs (Freshman), Chelsea Leroux (Junior), Sara Hartley (Freshman), Erin Fedewa (Sophomore)
COMPETING WELL
Through three races, South Carolina holds a 30-4 record against Division I competition this year. The Gamecocks won the Gamecock Invitational and the Winthrop Invitational to start the season and have finished in the top four of every race this year.
RUNNING THE 6K
Saturday’s race is just the second 6K race of the season for South Carolina, but the team had a strong showing in its only other 6K run. At Princeton two weeks ago, the team took second overall, and sophomore Beatrice Biwott placed third individually despite running in a cold and rainy environment.
LAST TIME OUT
South Carolina’s cross country team placed second at the Princeton Invitational in the first 6K race of the year and the final tune-up before the SEC Championships. Running in 40-degree weather on a rainy day, Beatrice Biwott took third individually at 23:24.00 and was followed by Dani Barnes, Ashley Evens, Tatum Tyler and Sara Hartley. Evens had her best collegiate race with a 16th place showing. A trio of freshmen cracked the Gamecock top eight in Tyler, Hartley and Laura Beggs.
