ANDERSON, S.C. - After being ranked among the region's best teams for the majority of the regular season, the Anderson University men's cross country team is gearing up for the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Championship on Saturday, which will be hosted by Lincoln Memorial on an 8K layout at the Wasioto Winds Golf Course in Pineville, Ky.
The Trojans, who were ranked either ninth or 10th in the Southeast Region in three of the five weekly U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Southeast Region polls, will join second-ranked Queens, No. 5 Mars Hill and eighth-ranked Lincoln Memorial in the hunt for a SAC title.
With a veteran squad that features five returning letterwinners,
including four juniors and a sophomore, Anderson was tabbed to
finish sixth in the Preseason South Atlantic Conference Coaches'
Poll. Defending NCAA regional champion Mars Hill, which has
traditionally held a stranglehold on SAC conference titles, was the
preseason favorite to claim its 19th-straight league crown on
Saturday, while Queens was predicted to finish as runners-up to the
Lions for the third consecutive year.
If past performance is an indicator of future results, Queens may
end the Lions' two decades of titles, as the Royals upended Mars
Hill three times in head-to-head competition during the regular
season. QU placed second in the season-opening Royals Twilight,
with Anderson claiming second. Two weeks ago, the Royals took home
second at the Bulldog Stampede just ahead of Mars Hill, while LMU
was sixth. The host Bulldogs claimed seventh, while the Trojans
were eighth. The Royals Challenge earlier this month produced a
familiar order of finish, as Queens captured fourth place, Mars
Hill was eighth and AU claimed 16th overall.
Sophomore Mason Hazel covered the 8K distance in a season-best time to claim 21st place, with junior Ben Boerma placing 108th overall. Junior Ned Kennedy finished 119th with fellow junior Michael Burch crossing the line in 148th place. Freshman John Drummond finished 194th, while junior Jesse Patrick finished 205th at the Challenge.
Hazel led Anderson in each of the Trojans' four appearances this
season after making his presence felt a year ago as well. The
Summerville, S.C., native was the top freshman finisher at the NCAA
Regionals, with a 12th-place finish after earning a spot on the SAC
All-Freshman Team and being named Second-Team All-South Atlantic
Conference.
