Sept. 28, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina cross country team returns to action on Friday at the Charlotte Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.

The Gamecocks will be competing in the women’s A race at McAlpine Park.

BREAKING DOWN THE FIELD
The meet will feature a total of 43 teams that will be separated into a women’s A and B race. Below is a list of the teams competing. Teams in bold are regionally ranked in Division I.

Anderson (S.C.)
Augusta State
Belmont
Campbell
Charlotte
Claflin
Coker
Col. of Charleston
Columbus St.
Converse
Davidson
Elon
Erskine
Florida Tech
Francis Marion
Furman
Gardner-Webb
Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech
Guilford
Lees-McRae
Lenoir-Rhyne
Liberty
Limestone
Longwood
Mars Hill
Milligan
Newberry
Presbyterian
S.C.-Aiken
Savannah Art & Design
Savannah State
South Carolina
South Carolina-Beaufort
Spartanburg Methodist
UNC-Pembroke
USC Upstate
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
Wofford
Young Harris College
Wake Tech

MCALPINE PARK
McAlpine Park will prove to be a challenge for the teams competing on Friday. With the high number of runners and the narrow course setup, it will be important for the Gamecocks to get off to a strong start. For a map of McAlpine Park, click here.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE
The Gamecocks used the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational as a learning experience in preparation for the Southeastern Conference and NCAA Southeast Regional championships. The Griak featured the strongest field that South Carolina will see until the SECs and NCAAs, with 18 regionally ranked and eight nationally ranked teams competing.

BACK AT FULL STRENGTH
After being held out of the Roy Griak Invitational with an injury, sophomore Scola Jepngetich, one of the team’s top runners, will be back for the Charlotte Invitational. Friday will mark the first time head coach Stan Rosenthal has had his entire top five runners in a meet this season.