ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson women's cross country team finished second at the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championships two weeks ago and will head back to the Tar Heel State on Saturday for the NCAA Southeast Region Championships, which will be hosted on the campus of Wingate University.
The Trojans finished fourth at the 2016 NCAA Southeast Region Championships at Montevallo last season and narrowly missed becoming the first cross country team in school history to qualify for the NCAA National Championships.
The championships start at 9 a.m. with the women's 6k race and will be followed at 10:15 a.m. by the men's 10k. Wingate was also the site of the 2015 NCAA Southeast Regionals.
The top three teams from the regional meet will automatically advance to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Evansville, Ind., on November 18. The top two individuals who are not part of a qualifying team will also automatically advance to the championship.
Led by senior Haylee Love's personal-best time and fourth-place finish, AU notched its highest finish since 2011 at the SAC Championships. Junior Allyson Malone also garnered First-Team All-Conference accolades by placing seventh.
Olivia Evans collected Second-Team All-SAC and All-Freshman Team honors after finishing 12th, with junior Abigail Bozarth capturing Second-Team All-SAC recognition after finishing 13th.
Senior Alex Dixon claimed 24th place, while senior Hannah Sanford garnered 28th place. The freshman duo of Olivia Rish and Lydia Gambrell finished 31st and 32nd, respectively. Freshman Hannah Beach and junior Martha Coleman rounded out the Trojan contingent in 39th and 41st, respectively.
The Trojans, who were ranked fourth in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Regional Rankings, will contend with nationally 16th-ranked Queens, which claimed the South Atlantic Conference championship and Mount Olive, which is tabbed 21st in the country.
Montevallo is the defending region champion, edging Queens for the 2016 championship last season on their home course. Wingate finished third at last year's regional, with Anderson and North Georgia rounding out the top five. Love became the first Trojan to qualify for the national championships since former All-American Whitney Bishoff earned back-to-back appearances in 2008 and 2009 and again in the 2011 campaign. Bozarth crossed the line in 38th place, with classmate Buddenberg claiming 46th place. Jones finished in 68th place, with Coleman just behind in 69th place.
