Sept. 22, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina cross country team returns to action on Saturday at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Gamecocks will be competing in the Jack Johnson Gold Race (6K) on the Les Bolstad Golf Course at 1:10 p.m. CT.

BREAKING DOWN THE FIELD
Saturday’s Roy Griak Invitational will feature one of the strongest fields the Gamecocks will compete against this season. The Jack Johnson Gold Race has 18 regionally ranked teams in the field, including eight of which are nationally ranked.

The 6K race has 26 teams slated to compete, highlighted by No. 9 Iowa State, No. 10 Arizona, No. 11 Washington, No. 18 Penn State, No. 21 North Carolina State, No. 25 BYU, No. 26 Michigan State and No. 30 Minnesota.

THIS WEEK’S LINEUP
The Gamecocks have 12 runners set to compete on Saturday. Beatrice Biwott, Emma Borowicz, Penny Boswell, Erin Fedewa, Jessica Hartman, Liz Locke, Meredith Mill, Alex Mullin, Kelly Newcomb, Sarah Pellegrini, Nicole Rheinlander and Megan Rother make up the South Carolina lineup that will run against a field of more than 350 runners.

STRONG START
After making a statement with a dominant season-opening win in the Gamecock Invitational, the Gamecocks kept their momentum going with a win in last week’s Winthrop Invitational. It marked the third straight year South Carolina won the Winthrop Invitational. The Gamecocks finished the meet with 43 points, followed by Davidson with 51. Biwott led the way with a second-place finish with a time of 17:36, which was just three seconds off of her 5K PR. Five more Gamecocks finished in the top 15, including Sara Hartley (10th), Rheinlander (11th), Locke (12th), Mill (13th) and Boswell (15th).

In the Gamecock Invitational, South Carolina had four runners finish in the top five and nine in the top 15. Boswell led the way with a second-place finish, while sophomore Scola Jepngetich, Rheinlander and Locke claimed spots three through five.

BIWOTT IMPRESSES IN RETURN
After being held out of the season-opening Gamecock Invitational, Biwott made an impressive return as the team’s No. 1 runner. She finished in second place in the Winthrop Invitational just three seconds short of her 5K PR with a time of 17:36. Biwott has been South Carolina’s top runner the last three seasons and will continue to be key for the Gamecocks. She won two meets for South Carolina a year ago, claiming the Gamecock Invitational and Winthrop Invitational.

PREPARING FOR THE NCAA
The experience the Gamecocks will gain at the Roy Griak Invitational will be valuable for the squad at the end of the season. The meet’s strong field will prepare South Carolina for the competition it will face in the Southeastern Conference and NCAA Southeast Region championships.