Sept. 26, 2014

Women’s 6K Results

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For the third consecutive meet, the South Carolina cross country team walked away with a win, claiming the Charlotte Invitational at McAlpine Creek Park with 37 points in the squad’s first 6K race of the season. The Gamecocks were 25 points clear of Samford, which finished in second place, and Davidson, which took third with 74 points.

After winning just the second meet of her career two weeks ago, junior Anna Todd won her second race of the season with personal best time of 21:58.9. Todd finished more than 12 seconds faster than Karisa Nelson of Samford.

Sophomore Mary Reiser (22:29.5), juniors Christine Kent (22:30.7) and Stephanie Berger (22:36.5) finished in the top 10 along with Todd, with Reiser in fifth, Kent in sixth and Berger in eighth. The four keyed the Gamecocks win as they combined for 20 points.

Freshman Emily Harding was South Carolina’s final point scorer as she placed 17th with a time of 23:00.9. Also in the top 20 was fellow freshman Hannah Giangaspro in 18th (23:03.0) and sophomore Ashley Miller in 20th (23:07.4).

Meet Changer:
Aside from earning her second win of the season, Anna Todd set a new personal record in the 6K at 21:58.9, while leading a group of three other veteran Gamecock runners to top 10 finishes to help bolster South Carolina’s win.

Key Stat:
South Carolina finished with only 37 points, 20 of which came from its top four runners.

Notables:
• South Carolina won its third consecutive meet, marking the first time the team had accomplished the feat during the 2000s.
• The Charlotte Invitational was the Gamecocks first meet away from Columbia this season.
• Anna Todd won her second meet of the season, and third of her career.
• Todd’s time of 21:58.9 was a new personal best.
• Carolina was led by three juniors (Anna Todd, Christine Kent, Stephanie Berger) and a sophomore (Mary Reiser).
• The Gamecocks’ top four runners accounted for 20 points. They defeated Samford by 25 points.

Up Next:
South Carolina will be back on the road next weekend as the team travels to Bethlehem, Pa., to compete in the Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 4. The women’s Open 6K begins the day at 10 a.m., ET.

Tweet of the Meet:

congrats @GamecockXC for the win! GoCocks!!! 🐔🐔🐔🐔

— E.J. Goings (@Airick_Junior) September 27, 2014