Oct. 31, 2011
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — The South Carolina cross country team raced in the 2011 SEC Championships on Monday morning and finished 11th on the 6K course at Lambert Acres Golf Club.
The Gamecocks wrapped up the meet with 295 points after racing against a strong SEC field, including nationally ranked Vanderbilt (3) and Arkansas (14). Three South Carolina runners set 6K PRs on the day.
“It was a good effort. It wasn’t the team finish that we were hoping for, but everybody in the top five raced well,” South Carolina head coach Stan Rosenthal said. “We’ve had some injury issues the last few weeks. Liz Locke hasn’t been able to run in three weeks. Nicole Rheinlander and Scola Jepngetich missed time, as well as a few others. It’s hard when you miss that kind of training this close to the end of the season. I’m proud of the girls and the effort they put forth today.”
Senior Beatrice Biwott led the Gamecocks for a fourth straight year at the SEC Championships with a 25th-place showing in a time of 21:31.56, which is her 6K PR. The finish is the best of Biwott’s career at the event.
“She ran a really good race,” Rosenthal said of Biwott. “It was her best SEC finish in her four years. She went out with the leaders and hung in there and didn’t drop off.”
Sophomore Penny Boswell was the next runner to cross the finish line for South Carolina as she placed 68th with a PR of 22:49.84, followed by senior Sara Hartley in 71st place with a PR of 22:54.64.
Rheinlander finished 79th with a time of 23:13.09, while Jepngetich wasn’t far behind in 83rd place with a time of 23:21.46. Junior Jessica Hartman (24:18.00) and Locke (24:26.09) were the next Gamecocks to cross the finish line.
Vanderbilt claimed its first-ever SEC title with 30 points. Individually, Arkansas’s Kristen Gillespie won the meet in a time of 20:19.84.
South Carolina now turns its focus on the NCAA Southeast Regionals, which will be held on Nov. 12 in Louisville, Ky.
