Gamecocks Set for NCAA Championship Debut to Conclude Historical Season
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Nov. 21, 2025) – For the first time in program history, South Carolina Cross Country will line up to compete in the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.
The women’s 6K will go off at 10:20 (ET) tomorrow morning. Live results for the race can be found here. The NCAA Championship will also be streamed live on ESPNU and can be accessed here.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
There will be a total of 32 teams running in the NCAA Championship tomorrow with a chance to be crowned this year’s champion. Additionally, there are 38 individual qualifiers across 34 different teams who will race tomorrow. N.C. State enters as the highest ranked team in the field, holding the top spot in the national poll. Each of the Top 30 teams in the USTFCCCA National Poll will lace up the spikes this weekend to run, including the host team Missouri who sits 29th overall.
CONTINUING HISTORY
The Gamecocks continued their success this season, most recently finishing runner-up at the Southeast Regional to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship. This historic moment marked the first time in program history the team has qualified, as well as the first Top 10 regional finish since 2012. To top it off, Salma Edbadra secured the program’s first individual win at a regional meet, crushing the previous program 6K record with a time of 19:03.1.
FOUR NAMED ALL-REGION
The Gamecocks placed a program record four runners on the All-Region team following the Southeast Regional. Salma Elbadra, Abir Reffas, Anya Arroyo and Teresa Cherotich earned the distinct honor, belonging to athletes who place inside the Top 25 at the regional event. Elbadra captured the podium, with Reffas finishing 18th and Arroyo and Cherotich capturing 21st and 22nd, respectively.
MOVING UP THE RANKS
The Gamecocks now rank second in the Southeast Region following the regional meet. In the USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll, they sit 15th overall, jumping five spaces overall from the previous ranking. South Carolina’s 15th place ranking is the best ranking in program history. The Gamecocks are the second highest ranked SEC squad, trailing only Florida who sits third overall in the national poll.
LINING UP SATURDAY
South Carolina will send eight student-athletes to represent the Garnet & Black. Anya Arroyo, Jade Buridon, Teresa Cherotich, Cate Conklin, Salma Elbadra, Abir Reffas and Abigail White will line up for the Gamecocks, while Mary Frances Iseman will serve as an alternate.
