Sept. 4, 2004

Columbia, SC –
USC women’s cross country team finished second in their season opener at the USC Gamecock Cross Country Invite Friday at Owens Field.

The Gamecocks, who were hoping to snatch another victory over Clemson, finished second to the Tigers with an overall score of 42 points in the 5K run. Clemson totaled 32 points, while Georgia Southern finished third with 79.

Leading the Gamecocks was senior Jenny Lake, who had an impressive first place performance with a time of 18:00.68. Clemson’s Casey Phillips finished second with a time of 18:21.14, while Tiger Jennifer Barton came in third at 18:35.71.

Also finishing in the top ten was USC freshman Amy Wike, who finished fifth with a time of 19:05.11, sophomore Tristan Rackow, who finished seventh at 19:21.19, and running unattached, Grace Wetzel claimed the tenth spot at 19:35.48.

In men’s cross country action, USC’s Steve Mance, who also ran unattached, claimed the top spot with a 5k time of 15:39.31. Finishing second and third were Gardner-Webb’s Lucas McAneney (15:51.79) and St. Andrews Presbyterian’s Chris Miller (15:55.80).

In Division I, Gardner-Webb earned first place in team rankings with a total of 15 points, while South Carolina State finished second with 40. St. Andrews Presbyterian claimed the top spot in the men’s Division II with a total score of 24. Coker College finished second with 43, while UNC Pembroke claimed third with 65.

USC women’s cross country will be back in action Saturday, September 18 at Clemson.