Nighbor Named SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week
COLUMBIA, S.C. (Sept. 8, 2026) – South Carolina’s Ella Nighbor has been named SEC Cross Country Women’s Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. Nighbor becomes the first Gamecock to earn Freshman of the Week honors since Teresa Cherotich on Sept. 17, 2024.
The Clover, S.C. native made her collegiate debut over the weekend at the Eye Opener in Spartanburg, S.C. and aided the Gamecocks to a first-place finish to begin the campaign. Nighbor placed eighth individually on the leaderboard with a 5K mark of 17:54.5 for the 31st fastest time in program history. Nighbor’s time was the final scoring mark for South Carolina as the Gamecocks accounted for 26 points, finishing 26 points clear of in-state rival Clemson.
Nighbor and the Gamecocks are back in action on Friday, Sept. 18 at the Adidas XC Challenge in Raleigh, N.C. South Carolina placed third overall in last year’s Adidas XC Challenge.
