Oct. 13, 2012
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The South Carolina cross country team travelled to Louisville, Ky. and E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, site of the 2012 NCAA Championships. This was an opportunity to race teams from all across the United States. It was also the last meet before the SEC Championships. Under perfect conditions for the first time all season, South Carolina raced in the second 6K race for unseeded teams. More than 200 runners from California, Utah, Oregon and points closer to South Carolina sprinted away under sunny skies and 62 degrees.
The Gamecocks put together one of their best efforts of the season as they claimed third place out of 26 teams in the Women’s Black Unseeded 6K race.
South Carolina finished the meet with 186 points. Utah Valley placed first with 154 points, and West Virginia took second with 157 points. The meet served as a preview to the 2012 NCAA Championship, which will be held in Louisville on Nov. 17, and featured 15 nationally ranked teams.
“I am extremely pleased with the way the team competed today,” South Carolina head coach Stan Rosenthal said. “Going into the race, I felt like there were five or six teams that were better than us, so getting third was really good. Beating regionally ranked Furman was really good. Four of our top five had PRs today, and Chelsea France was within just a few seconds of hers. It was a really great meet.”
As she has been all season, freshman Kayla Lampe was the Gamecocks’ unquestioned leader on the course as she won her second race of the year, crossing the finish line with a personal record of 21:03.5. A native of Downingtown, Pa., Lampe took the lead a mile and a half into the race and then built a sizeable cushion en route to winning the race by 11.3 seconds.
France gave South Carolina two finishers in the top 10 as she claimed 10th with a mark of 21:35.4, which was just shy of her personal best of 21:26 from last year’s NCAA Southeast Regional Championship. Junior Penny Boswell was the next Gamecock to cross the finish line, placing 53rd with a personal record of 22:18.8.
Freshman Mary Fouse finished 68th with a personal best of 22:30.9. Freshman Christine Kent (22:58.4 PR, 105th), sophomore Meredith Mill (23:03.8, 111th), freshman Lauren Kahre (23:29.5, 153rd), freshman Lannon McCoy (23:49.5, 175th), freshman Anna Todd (23:50.6, 176th) and sophomore Alex Mullin (23:54.2, 181st) rounded out the Gamecock contingent.
The Gamecocks will now turn their focus to preparing for the SEC Championship, which will be held on Oct. 26 at Percy Warner Park in Nashville, Tenn.
