Gamecocks Ranked 15th in Southeast Region
Oct. 16, 2017
USTFCCCA Southeast Region Rankings ââ’¬” Oct. 16
NEW ORLEANS, La. — The University of South Carolina cross country team rose to No. 15 in the USTFCCCA Southeast Region rankings, the organization announced Monday. The regional ranking is the first of the season for cross country coach Andrew Allden and the Gamecocks.
South Carolina broke into the regional rankings on the strength of a successful 2017 regular season. The Gamecocks earned two meet victories, at the Carolina Challenge on Sept. 2 and the Koala Classic on Oct. 7. Most recently, the Gamecocks finished 12th out of 31 teams at the Crimson Classic, out-racing several ranked opponents Oct. 13 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Individually, several Gamecocks have made great strides in 2017 to push Carolina into the Southeast Region’s top-15. Kaylee Wessel earned the individual title at the Koala Classic, while Allison Mueller notched a top-25 finish at the Joe Piane Invitational on Sept. 29. Most recently, Anna Kathryn Stoddard paced the Gamecocks at the Crimson Classic; her time of 21:58.2 is the 28th sub-22 6K time in program history.
Carolina’s top-15 regional ranking is the first for the program since the third week of the 2015 season. The Gamecocks finished 10th in the region in 2012 and 14th one season later.
FROM THE COACH
“Getting back in the Southeast Region rankings was a goal for our team at the start of the season, so it’s very rewarding to see what our team has accomplished. This is something that has been building all season long; we finished ahead of several regionally-ranked teams in our very first meet of the season and have beaten ranked squads in virtually every meet this season. We’ve earned our ranking, and now we hope to use this momentum to finish 2017 on a high note with strong efforts in the postseason.” ââ’¬” Andrew Allden
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina begins the postseason on Friday, Oct. 27, when it takes part in the 2017 SEC Championships. The University of Georgia serves as host, and the meet will be held at the UGA Golf Course in Athens, Ga.
The Gamecocks have already seen the SEC Championships course; they finished fourth out of seven teams at the Bulldog SEC Preview on Sept. 9.
