ANDERSON, S.C. - In an early preview of the NCAA Southeast Regional, the Anderson University men's and women's cross country teams are slated to compete at the Bulldog Stampede, hosted by Wingate on Saturday morning at the Bulldogs' Cross Country Facility.
The women's race is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., with the 22-team field featuring seven of the top-10 ranked teams in the Southeast Region, including four of the top five teams in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Regional poll. Top-ranked Montevallo, No. 7 Flagler and No. 8 Columbus State are the only three teams not scheduled to make an appearance on the women's side.
After an impressive start to the season, the Trojan women have been ranked fifth in the region in the last two weekly regional polls, after being tabbed to finish third in the SAC Preseason Coaches' poll.
The two-time defending SAC champion and host Bulldog women's
squad was a preseason selection to claim the SAC title, with the
Wingate Cross Country Facility serving as the site for the 2015
NCAA Division II Southeast Regional in early November.
In their most recent outing two weeks ago at the Furman Classic,
the Trojans finished fifth with a trio of runners either equaling
or substantially improving their times on the Furman course from a
year ago, while five runners wearing the Black and Gold were among
the top 40 finishers.
The Bulldog Stampede's 19-team men's race is slated to start at 10:15 a.m., with seven of the regionally top-ranked teams competing. Top-ranked Mount Olive from the Conference Carolinas, along with No. 2 Queens, third-ranked UNC Pembroke and perennial powerhouse Mars Hill at No. 5 are all scheduled to run Saturday morning.
The AU men's squad has been ranked ninth in the region by the
USTFCCCA for two consecutive weeks after finishing third at the
Royals Twilight and ninth in Greenville two weeks ago. Sophomore
Mason Hazel has paced the Trojans in each of the first two outings,
and was among five AU runners to post personal-best time at the
season opener in Charlotte, N.C. Each of the returning runners for
the Trojans also significantly bettered their times at the Furman
Classic from a season ago.
