Cross Country Primed for SEC Championship
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 30, 2025) – South Carolina Cross Country has put in the final touches and is primed and ready for the 2025 SEC Cross Country Championship in Knoxville, Tenn. The Gamecocks will run in their first true 6K event at the Cherokee Farms Cross Country Course tomorrow morning at 10:53 a.m.
The SEC Championship results page can be found by clicking this link. There will also be live video coverage on the SEC Network, with John Anderson (play-by-play) and Carrie Tollefson (analyst) on the call. The live video link can be found here.
A YEAR FOR THE BOOKS
The Gamecocks have been a force this season, earning podium finishes in each of the four events during the regular season. South Carolina opened the season with a win at the Covered Bridge Open before finishing third at N.C. State’s Adidas XC Challenge. South Carolina then finished runner-up at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invite before closing out the regular season with a win at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The success of the Garnet & Black this season has been rewarded as South Carolina has reached uncharted territory with the highest rankings in program history, both in the Southeast Region (No. 3) and in the national Top 30 poll with a ranking of 20th.
CHASING HISTORY
South Carolina is looking to improve on its best finish in program history at the SEC Championship when the Gamecocks took home fifth at the 1999 conference meet in Nashville, Tenn. A Top 10 finish would give the Garnet & Black two Top 10 results in three years for the first time since 2010-12 when South Carolina placed 10th and 9th, respectively. Individually, South Carolina has had four athletes finish inside the Top 10 at the SEC Championship, including twice when the meet transitioned from a 5K to 6K. Silan Ayyildiz is the most recent Top 10 finisher, placing seventh at the 2023 SEC Championship in Columbia, S.C.
GAMECOCK RUNNERS
The Gamecocks will be represented by 12 runners this weekend, five of which will be making their SEC Championship debuts. Salma Elbadra highlights the newcomers making her conference championship debut, having twice earned SEC Runner of the Week this season for her first-place finish at the Crimson Classic and bronze finish at the Joe Piane Invitational. Elbadra will be joined by Abir Reffas, Jade Buridon, Eline Mast and Allie Matasich on the newcomer list.
Teresa Cherotich highlights the veteran group that will be running, having placed 14th in this event last season. The Kenya product has run in all four events this season, winning the Covered Bridge Open and placing fourth in both the Adidas XC Challenge and the Crimson Classic. She will be accompanied by Anya Arroyo, Cate Conklin, Mary Frances Iseman, Hattie Jennings, Emma Torbert and Abigail White.
ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
The All-SEC Teams will be comprised of: First Team (top 7 finishers), Second Team (finishers 8-14) and Third Team (finishers 15-21). The All-Freshman Team will consist of the top seven freshman finishers overall.
