ANDERSON, S.C. - Looking to build on a pair of strong outings last weekend in Rock Hill, S.C., the Anderson men's and women's cross country teams will get a preview of the NCAA Southeast Regional course by competing at the UNC Charlotte Invitational Saturday morning.
With freshman Olivia Gardner leading the way for the women's squad, the Trojans are ranked seventh in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Regional Rankings. The native of Tarpon Springs, Fla. is coming off a 10th place outing at the Winthrop Invitational after placing seventh at USC Upstate's Eye Opener in her collegiate debut nearly three weeks ago.
The Trojan men placed seventh at the Eye Opener and are coming off a sixth-place finish at the Winthrop event, as senior Parks Edwards paced AU with a 28th-place finish individually.
Saturday's events will mark the third consecutive season that the Trojans will compete at Charlotte. Last season, standout Emily Eckroth led the way for the women's squad by finishing 138th in a time of 25:20.20, as the team placed 26th overall. Madison Guest (25:58.66) finished 152nd, while Sydney Hazel finished 157th in a time of 26:19.36 and freshman Devan Fisher (28:24.96) claimed 180th.
Joshua Visi-Clark (27:14.47) paced the men's squad to 28th place
a year ago with his 125th-place finish. Edwards (27:19.95) finished
132nd last season in the 8K event, while Tucker Huellmantel
(28:56.88) crossed the line in 171st.
