ANDERSON, S.C. – On the heels of an impressive second-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regionals two weeks ago, the Anderson women's cross country team is set for its' first-ever appearance at the NCAA National Championships, Saturday morning in Evansville, Ind.
Senior men's cross country standout Mason Hazel also earned a spot in the Men's NCAA Men's National Championships after capturing fifth place at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, which were hosted by Wingate.
The women's 6K race is set for an 11:15 a.m. (EST) start, while the men's 10K event is slated to start at 12:30 p.m. (EST).
Saturday will mark senior Haylee Love's second straight appearance at the Championships, as the Lexington, S.C., native became the first Trojan cross country runner to qualify for the national championships since 2011 by claiming eighth place a year ago on the strength of a personal-best time of 21:48.01 over the 6K course. Love went on to finish 197th in St. Leo, Fla.
The Trojans opened the season by winning the USC Upstate Eye Opener, then returned to Spartanburg, S.C., four weeks later and claimed the USC Upstate Invitational title by outpacing Newberry. Led by Love's first-place finish, AU wrapped up the regular season by bringing home the Piedmont College Invitational crown, as well.
Love captured first-place laurels twice during the season and paced the Black and Gold at both the South Atlantic Conference Championships and at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Junior Allyson Malone led AU with a 21st-place finish at the Furman Classic behind a season-best time of 22:25.3, while freshman Olivia Evans won the USC Upstate Invitational.
Love was 10th at the NCAA Southeast Regionals two weeks ago, with Evans capturing All-Region accolades by finishing 12th. Malone finished 13th, while junior Abigail Bozarth crossed the line in 14th place in a time of 23:01.6, which was just a second off her career-best time at the distance. Both runners collected All-Southeast Region honors.
Seniors Hannah Sanford and Alex Dixon finished 47th and 56th, respectively, while freshman Hannah Beach crossed the finish line in 63rd place.
Hazel, a four-time All-Southeast Region performer, earned his first appearance at the Men's National Championships after finishing fifth at the NCAA Regionals in a time of 31:40.5.
After missing the USC Upstate Eye Opener and the Furman Classic, Hazel won the USC Upstate Invitational, while leading the Trojans to the top spot as a team. A week later, Hazel made it two straight individual titles, as he won the Piedmont College Invitational. The Summerville, S.C. native set a new personal record, while claiming the fifth spot over an 8K course at the South Atlantic Conference Championships in October.
