Oct. 15, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina cross country team has entered the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Southeast Regional rankings for the first time this season at No. 8, the USTFCCCA announced Monday.

The Gamecocks vaulted into the rankings after finishing third at Saturday’s NCAA Preview Meet in the Women’s Black Unseeded 6K race at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. South Carolina freshman Kayla Lampe won the race by 11.3 seconds with a personal record of 21:03.5, and senior Chelsea France finished 10th with the second fastest time of her career (21:35.4) to lead the way. The No. 8 ranking is the highest regional ranking of head coach Stan Rosenthal’s 12-year tenure at South Carolina.

“I am very excited for the team,” Rosenthal said. “They have been working very hard to get better. We had a great race Saturday and it is good to be rewarded for their efforts.”

Saturday’s preview of the 2012 NCAA Championship was the final race of the regular season for South Carolina. The Gamecocks will now prepare for the SEC Championship, which will be held on Oct. 26 at Percy Warner Park in Nashville, Tenn.

USTFCCCA Southeast Regional RankingsRank    School        Location      Conference   Last Week1   Duke          Durham, N.C.      ACC      52   William and Mary  Williamsburg, Va. Colonial     13   NC State      Raleigh, N.C.     ACC      24   North Carolina    Chapel Hill, N.C. ACC      35   Kentucky      Lexington, Ky.    SEC      46   Virginia      Charlottesville, Va.  ACC      67   Clemson       Clemson, S.C.     ACC      78   South Carolina    Columbia, S.C.    SEC      NR9   Virginia Tech     Blacksburg, Va.   ACC      NR10  Appalachian State Boone, N.C.       Southern     811  James Madison     Harrisonburg, Va. Colonial     1212  Elon          Elon, N.C.        Southern     1313  Liberty       Lynchburg, Va.    Big South    914  East Carolina     Greenville, N.C.  C-USA        1415  Richmond      Richmond, Va.     Atlantic 10  10