ANDERSON, S.C. - For the third consecutive year, Anderson College will be the host school for the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference Cross Country Championships Friday morning at the Pine Lake Golf Club. The women's 5K race will start at 9:30 a.m. The men's 8K race will follow at approximately 10:15 a.m. Lees-McRae is the defending champion in both the women's and men's events. The men's course record of 27:13 was set last season by Chris Hiatt of Pfeiffer. The women's course record of 19:29 was set by Beth Schultz Martin of Mount Olive in 2002. The top two men's 8K times in the CVAC this season belong to runners from Lees-McRae. Lewis Martin has posted a 25:53, and his teammate Brian Knapp has run a 25:57. In the women's division, Kelly Chaplin of St. Andrews Presbyterian College (19:15) and Jennifer Hitt of Anderson (19:43) have the best two 5K times this season. The start-finish line for the challenging Pine Lake course is near the No. 2 tee. The flattest part of the course is the start and the finish. The rolling hills at Pine Lake put a premium on speed and strategy. Host Anderson will be led by a pair of talented freshmen - Hitt and Ethan Schaffner. Hitt, a native of Fountain Inn, S.C., turned down some offers from Division I schools to join the program at Anderson. In six meets, she has finished in the top six four times. "I wanted to come to a small school because I wanted the one-on-one attention," she said. "Also, the team was closer together because you're around them all day. I've had to work on getting my mileage up. I was used to just four miles a day in high school, but we do six miles a day on our speed days." The Lady Trojans won the 2002 CVAC meet and finished second last year. "We have a pretty tight pack," Hitt said. "I think we can go to nationals if that pack stays together and picks up the pace. I think we can win the CVAC meet and get into the top four at regionals." Hitt says the Pine Lake course is more of a "mental course." "You're either going uphill or downhill," she said. "If you let it get into your mind, you're not going to make it." Schaffner, a native of Baltimore, Ohio and younger brother of first-year Anderson head coach Aaron Schaffner, has had a memorable first season with the Trojans. He won two individual titles - Lander and Erskine - and recorded four top-11 finishes. "I was really excited when I heard Aaron got the job," Schaffner said. "I know he's always wanted to be a head coach. I thought it would be cool to try and establish something and help him getting something going here at Anderson. I'm getting a lot faster, but I thought I would have quicker times. I'm getting down there. I know I can do much faster." Schaffner says his favorite strategy is to stay in the pack then kick at the end of the race. "I've got a kick now, but I have to pace myself out more," he said. "Pine Lake is a challenging course. I've run the hills, so I know it's difficult but it's going to be fun."