Wessel Leads Gamecocks to Koala Classic Title
Oct. 7, 2017
Cross Country at the Koala Classic
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina cross country squad dominated from start to finish on Saturday morning en route to a team championship at the inaugural Koala Classic, hosted by Columbia College. Kaylee Wessel took the individual crown as the Gamecocks earned the top six finishing positions and 10 of the top 11.
Wessel’s individual victory is the first title of her career. In very tough conditions, she bested the field by nearly a minute and crossed the line in 19:35.3.
Morgan Lee placed second with a time of 20:30.0, while Rachel Hensler was Carolina’s top freshman finisher, in 20:41.6. Sarah Riser took fourth with a run of 20:47.4, and Kelsey Larkin grabbed the fifth position in her first career 5K race, coming home in 20:49.1.
Leah Ford placed sixth on Saturday, leading the second wave with a time of 20:55.8. Emily Crounse came in eighth, at 21:18.3, and Megan Buechler’s time of 21:19.5 was ninth-best. Regina Schreiber rounded out the top-10 with a race of 21:27.6, and Anna McElrath came in 11th, crossing the line in 21:36.1.
The team title is the second of the season for the Gamecocks, who also won the Carolina Challenge on Sept. 2.
FROM THE COACH
“I was very pleased with the team’s competitiveness in a very challenging set of conditions. Kaylee Wessel dominated right from the gun for her first career victory, and our second and third runners also had great days. Kelsey Larkin put forth an outstanding performance in her first cross country race ever, dating all the way back to her high school days. We’re going to dial back our mileage this week, and I’m excited to see how that translates to our meet at Alabama next week against another very strong field.” — Andrew Allden
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
Carolina wraps up the regular season on Friday, Oct. 13 when it runs at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
