Nov. 10, 2006

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina cross-country squad heads to Louisville, Ky., this weekend to take part in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park. The event, hosted by the University of Louisville, begins with the women’s 6K race at 11 a.m., followed by the men’s 10K race at 12:15 p.m. The top two teams in each race will earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 20 in Terre Haute, Ind.

The NCAA Southeast Regional in Louisville is one of nine regional events around the nation scheduled for Saturday where the top two teams in each race will earn automatic bids (18 men and 18 women) to the national championships. The remaining 13 spots in the field of 31 for each championship race will be filled by at large selections based on points scored against other championship caliber squads.

No. 2 North Carolina State is the favorite to claim the Southeast Regional title, which will feature schools from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The Wolfpack return three All-Regional performers in Angelina Blackmon, Jemissa Hess, and Magin Kebert along with 2006 ACC Champion Julia Lucas. No. 14 Duke also has a chance to claim an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships along with No. 22 Virginia and No. 26 Virginia Tech.

In 2005, Rebecca Chain placed in the top-100 with a time of 22:24 (78th) to lead the Gamecocks. USC, only running six runners after Shay Shelton did not finish due to an injury, finished the event with a 24th-place finish at Lake Kristi in Greenville, N.C.