Stoddard Leads Gamecocks at Crimson Classic
Oct. 13, 2017
Cross Country at the Crimson Classic
TUSCALOOSA, ALA. — The University of South Carolina cross country team built plenty of momentum for the postseason on Friday morning as it finished 12th in its final regular-season meet of the 2017 campaign, the Crimson Classic. Anna Kathryn Stoddard led the way for the Gamecocks, who placed fifth among SEC teams at the competition.
Stoddard came home in 21:58.2, a new personal best and the 28th sub-22 6K time in Gamecock history. The sophomore was one of nine Gamecocks to run their best collegiate 6K time on Friday.
One week after earning her first collegiate victory at the Koala Classic, Kaylee Wessel was Carolina’s second-best finisher. The senior came in 68th, running 22:05.5.
Carolina’s top freshman on Friday was Heather Stone. The Ashburn, Va., native finished a spot behind Wessel, running 22:06.0 to take 69th.
Allison Mueller was Carolina’s fourth finisher, checking in 78th with a time of 22:15.9. Colleen Openshaw placed 97th, at 22:30.4, and Sarah-Sims McGrath’s time of 23:03.0 was good for 133rd. Megan Buechler rounded out the Gamecock scoring effort, crossing the line in 147th with a mark of 23:13.9.
Georgia Tech finished as team champions on Friday, while Auburn came in second and Mississippi State took third.
FROM THE COACH
“Our goal was the top-10, and we fell just short of that, but finishing 12th out of 31 strong teams is a good day. We had some very solid groupings, and beating a couple of SEC teams is great. Anna Kathryn running sub-22 was a huge step in the right direction. Heather Stone ran hard for us today, and it’s big for her confidence to finish in the top-three for us. I’m pleased but not satisfied with our performance today, and I think we’ve got something good left in tank for the SEC Championships in a couple of weeks.” — Andrew Allden
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina begins the postseason on Friday, Oct. 27 when it takes part in the 2017 SEC Championships. The University of Georgia serves as host, and the meet will be held at the UGA Golf Course in Athens, Ga.
The Gamecocks have already seen the SEC Championships course; they finished fourth out of seven teams at the Bulldog SEC Preview on Sept. 9.
