Nov. 11, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina cross-country squad heads to Greenville, N.C. this weekend to take part in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships at Lake Kristi. The event, hosted by East Carolina University, begins with the men’s 10K race at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s 6K race at 12:15 p.m. The races serve as qualifiers for next weekend’s NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

USC is coming off of the SEC Championships on Oct. 29, where Carolina’s top seven runners all ran to personal best times on the course at Fort Jackson. Sophomore Rebecca Chain led the Gamecocks at the SEC Championships with a 45th-place finish, and is USC’s top returning runner from the regional meet a year ago.

“It’s our last meet of the season and hopefully we’ll race well and pick up some season best times,” said USC Cross Country Coach Stan Rosenthal. “It’s the best field we’ve been in all year, as far as depth and quality. If we can match our times from the SEC meet we’ll be in good shape.”

The NCAA Southeast Regionals are being hosted by ECU for the fourth straight year. ECU and the Lake Kristi course have also played host to the Conference USA and Colonial Athletic Association championships in recent years. In 2004, Carolina took home 19th-place honors, while Duke’s women claimed the regional title and the top finishers on the men’s and women’s side both set new course records. Joining the Gamecocks in Greenville will be 38 other women’s squads, including four nationally ranked teams, led by defending event champion and current national No. 1, Duke. Also at Lake Kristi will be the ninth-ranked NC State Wolfpack, No. 12 Wake Forest and No. 24 North Carolina.