Sept. 2, 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina cross country team opens its 2010 season Friday, September 3 at 7pm at Hilton Fields in Fort Jackson. Ten teams will be competing in the 5K race along with a few individuals in the annual home opening meet for the Gamecocks. There will also be a men’s race beginning at 6:30 p.m.
For directions to Hilton Field in Fort Jackson, CLICK HERE. Hilton Field will also serve as the host site of the 2010 SEC Cross Country Championships that will be held Monday, Nov. 1 at 11 a.m.
Following a very successful 2009 season, the 2010 cross country team is poised to have a breakout year. In 2009, the Gamecock harriers had a 30-4 regular season record and finished 14th out of 45 teams in the NCAA Southeast Region Championships, the team’s highest placing in 13 years.
The 2010 squad will have experience and youth leading the way. Returning No. 1 runner, junior Beatrice Biwott, had her best track season ever, becoming the SEC Steeplechase champion. Her time of 10:20 was also a new school record and the 20th fastest time in the NCAA. Senior captain Ashley Evens was the team’s No. 3 runner for most of the 2009 season. She stayed in Columbia all summer and had her best summer of training during her Gamecock career. She is leading the team pack of four freshmen and one junior in preseason workouts. The `Pack’ is comprised of junior captain Nicole Rheinlander along with freshmen Liz Locke, Rachel Grochowski, Penny Boswell and Scola Jepngetich.
Rheinlander put in a summer of high mileage and is also in the best shape of her life. After running a PR of 18:32 for 5K on the track last year, she is ready to run in the 17’s this fall. While unproven, Locke, Grochowski, Boswell and Jepngetich have had a great preseason. Locke has the best PRs, running 4:56 and 2:12 at the New Jersey State Championships in 2010. Grochowski ran 11:16 for 3,200 indoors and 11:19 outdoors, placing in the Virginia State Championships in both races. Boswell spent the track season and summer in Italy. She was the Department of Defense High School European Champion at 1500 and 3000, winning both by wide margins. Her 3K PR is 10:41. Jepngetich has not won any championships in Kenya, but her times lead Coach Rosenthal to believe that she can have an outstanding career at South Carolina. Her PR is 4:40 for 1,500, which is much faster than Biwott ran as a prep while in Kenya. Jepngetich has never run a cross country race competitively, but Coach Rosenthal expects she will become a good cross country runner as she gets experience this fall.
Giving the team its best depth in 10 years are returnees in senior Laura Pramstaller, juniors Shannon Walls, Erin Fedewa and Chelsea Leroux and sophomore Laura Beggs. All were top 10 runners on the 2009 team, and each ran under 19:10 for 5K last year. Pramstaller was the 2009 team’s No. 4 runner until a herniated back disc ended her season at the Princeton meet. She has done extensive rehab and is training again with the team.
