Cross Country Set for Increased Distance at Paul Short Run

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Sept. 28, 2023) – South Carolina Cross Country will ramp up the intensity and distance this weekend, competing at the Paul Short Run on Saturday morning. The Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., will be the first 6K of the season for the Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks will send five student-athletes to compete in the Women’s Open 6K at 10:15 a.m., while the remaining 10 runners will compete in the team event of the Women’s College Gold 6K race at 11:45 a.m.

Live results for the Paul Short Run can be found by clicking here.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
There are a total of 45 teams competing in the Gold event, including nationally-ranked Georgetown (No. 11) and Utah Valley (No. 24). In total, between all the divisions, there will be over 5,000 runners competing on Saturday in Pennsylvania with more than 450 colleges and high schools set to run.

ON THE RISE
The Gamecocks are off to a strong start to begin the season, finishing fourth at the Eye Opener and second at the Gamecock Challenge. Carolina has been led by freshman phenom Judy Kosgei who has broken back-to-back 5K records in her first two collegiate races. In her season opener, Kosgei bested the school record by 11 seconds, before beating her own record by one whole minute at the Gamecock Challenge two weeks later. Kosgei has earned two SEC Women’s Runner of the Week Awards and became the program’s first National Runner of the Week recipient.

This year’s squad holds 10 of the Top-20 5K marks in program history, including sophomore runner Gabby Gait-Smith who ranks second on the list with a time of 16:47.2. Four of those 10 entries belong to true freshman runners.

This weekend will be the first 6K of the season, while also marking the first collegiate 6K race for seven of the 15 Gamecocks competing. Hope Dominique enters the weekend with the fastest active 6K on the squad, running 21:12.17 which ranks eighth all-time. Heather Stone holds the 6K program record of 20:38.80 set on Oct. 5, 2019 at this exact meet.

GAMECOCK ENTRIES
Running for the Gamecocks: Anya Arroyo, Anna Boyd, Sylvia Chelangat, Sarah DiVasta (Open), Hope Dominique, Gabby Gait-Smith, Katerina Hendrix (Open), Molly Joseph (Open), Judy Kosgei, Sofie Kurzawa, Maria Lombardi (Open), Molly Parker (Open), Claudia Satzke, Lily Weeks, Ella Zeigler.