Oct. 9, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina cross country team traveled to Disney World for their annual Disney World Invitational race, and the Gamecocks came away with a team victory. The field was not loaded with national and regional ranked team as at the Minnesota Griak Invitational in Carolina’s last full-team race.

Following Coach Stan Rosenthal’s instructions to race fearlessly, the team went out hard and had nine runners in the lead pack with junior captain Nicole Rheinlander leading the pack. The course at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex is flat but has many 90 and 180 degree turns plus a mile of sandy roads through the woods, making it somewhat slower than a normal flat course. Rheinlander was leading the pack through the mile with senior Ashley Evens, junior Beatrice Biwott and freshmen Scola Jepngetich, and Liz Locke in the lead group of 15.

The lead pack broke up in the woods. The Gamecocks fell out of the top five but stuck together as a team pack. Over the last mile places did not change much on the team. Evens, Jepngetich, Biwott and Locke fought hard and held their places. Rheinlander’s early pace proved too much today as she dropped from the lead pack. Freshman Sierra Henderson was in a second group of Gamecocks working their way up during the race. She was joined by senior Laura Pramstaller, junior Erin Fedewa and freshmen Penny Boswell and Kayla Keddal.

At the end of the 5K race, Jepngetich was the first runner from South Carolina in eighth with Evens, Biwott and Locke close behind in 11th, 12th and 13th. Henderson’s late rush caught Rheinlander as they placed 23rd and 28th, respectively. There was only a six second spread from Jepngetich to Locke of 18:17 to 18:23. Henderson was 21 seconds further back and Rheinlander was 6 second behind her.

Carolina’s 67 points were good for first place and the coveted Mickey Mouse Trophy.