Sept. 12, 2014
Coming off of a win in its first meet of the season two weeks ago, the South Carolina cross country team hosts its second competition of the year on Saturday with the USC Open #1 at Hilton Field on Fort Jackson. Both the men’s and women’s races are scheduled for a 5K with the women’s race beginning at 9 a.m., and the men’s to follow at 9:30.
Meet Information
Date: Sat., Sept. 13
Start Time: Women’s 5K: 9 a.m.; Men’s 5K: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Hilton Field on Fort Jackson
Meet Notes 
The Gamecocks are led by second-year coach Andrew Allden as assistant track coach in charge of distance and cross country, who reunited last year with head track and field coach Curtis Frye after 12 years away from Columbia. Allden brings 28 years of coaching experience to the Gamecocks in regards to training.
The team, which returns the majority of its runners from last season when it finished 14th at the Southeast Regional, was ranked 15th in the 2014 regional preseason poll by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Competing with the Gamecocks in the women’s race are Benedict College , Claflin, Georgia Southern, Paine College, Savannah State and Vorhees College. The men’s race will consist of Benedict College, Claflin, Paine College, Savannah State and Vorhees College. Results will be posted on GamecocksOnline.com following the day’s events.
Results will be posted on GamecocksOnline following the day’s events.
Admission to Saturday’s meet is free, and all fans entering Fort Jackson must show a photo ID, proof of car insurance and vehicle registration.
BERGER GETS FIRST WIN
At the opening meet of the season, the Carolina Invitational, junior Stephanie Berger earned the first win of her Gamecock career. The West Salem, Ohio, native clocked in at 19:00.65, to lead a pack of eight Gamecocks, as Carolina finished 1-9.
STARTING FAST
The win at the Carolina Invitational marked the third time in the last four years that South Carolina has claimed a win in its season opening meet.
GAMECOCKS LEADING THE PACK
While Berger got the win at the Carolina Invitational, South Carolina claimed 13 of the top 15 spots in a field that saw 54 competitors. The Gamecocks claimed the top five spots to score a perfect 15 points.
FRESHMEN STEPPING UP
Of the eight freshmen that competed for the Gamecocks in the opening meet, six being true freshmen, all eight finished in the top 15. True freshman Allie Sprague was the top finisher of the group, claiming second with a time of 19:14.26.
REISER LEADING THE WAY
Sophomore Mary Reiser is the team’s top returner, after becoming the third freshman from South Carolina to be named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team in the last six years, as she placed 33rd at the SEC Championships in 2013. Reiser set the fifth-fastest 5K time in school history at the Royal Cross Country Challenge at 17:39.0 and finished in the top 30 at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
SEC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Joining Reiser on this year’s SEC Cross Country Preseason Watch List is Kayla Lampe, who did not compete during the 2013 season due to injury and has been hampered by another throughout the summer. The redshirt junior garnered SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2012 and Second-Team All-SEC accolades with a 13th-place showing at the SEC Championships (21:02.30). Later that season, she earned All-Southeast Region honors, finishing eighth with a time of 20:40.43, which is the fastest 6K time in South Carolina history.
RETURNING EXPERIENCE
Despite losing their top runner from a season ago, the Gamecocks return their next six runners in Reiser (sophomore), Anna Todd (junior), Berger (junior), Christine Kent (junior), Martha McCoy (sophomore), along with the possibility of Lampe (junior).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
With 27 athletes on the 2014 roster, the Gamecocks have 13 new faces on the team this fall that will mix in with six others who joined the program last year, meaning 70 percent of the team has only been at South Carolina for a year or less.
FRESHMAN CLASS
Coach Allden has considered this year’s freshman class “top-to-bottom to be one of the strongest recruiting classes [the program] has had.” Leading the group of 13 will be Florida natives Hannah Giangaspro, a top 3200-meter runner in the state, and Emily Harding, who posted a Top 30 nationally in the 1600 meters in 2013. Outside of Florida, the freshman class hails from the Carolinas, the Mid-Atlantic region and Illinois.
DIRECTIONS AND INFORMATION: Fans wanting to come to the free event must have a government-issued photo I.D. for all attending plus proof of car insurance and vehicle registration for the driver to get on the base. The best entrance for fans to enter is the main gate, Gate 2, which enters Fort Jackson from Forest Drive (Exit 12 on Interstate 77). After passing through security in the far-right lane, go one mile on Strom Thurmond Drive before taking a left at the light onto Lee Drive. When the road dead ends, turn right onto Hampton Parkway. The cross country course will be a half mile ahead on the right.
