Sept. 15, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina cross country team returns to action after a week off as it is set to compete in the 25th annual Winthrop Invitational on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Winthrop Lake course.

Admission to the event is free and parking will be available at the Winthrop Coliseum lot.

BREAKING DOWN THE FIELD
The Gamecocks will compete against 12 teams from both Division I and Division II on Saturday. The teams include Winthrop, Wingate, Claflin, Davidson, Wofford, Gardner-Webb, South Carolina State, Benedict, Morris, Mars Hill, Mount Olive and Spartanburg Methodist.

MAKING A STATEMENT
South Carolina opened its 2011 season in strong fashion with a dominant win in the Gamecock Invitational. The Gamecocks had four runners finish in the top five and nine in the top 15. Sophomore Penny Boswell led the way with a second-place finish, while sophomore Scola Jepngetich, senior Nicole Rheinlander and sophomore Liz Locke claimed spots three through five.

LOOKING TO IMPROVE
The Gamecocks will be focused on improving their times after a great start to the season. In the Gamecock Invitational, only 65 seconds separated South Carolina’s first and ninth runner, while its top 13 runners were within 90 seconds of each other. The Gamecocks’ goal is to lower those numbers each meet.

BIWOTT RETURNS
Senior Beatrice Biwott will be in action for the first time in 2011 to give the Gamecocks a boost on Saturday after being held out of the Gamecock Invitational. Biwott’s presence will be key for South Carolina as she was its top runner for the last three seasons. Biwott has had previous success at the Winthrop Invitational, winning the meet last year.