ANDERSON, S.C. - On the heels of third-place finishes at the South Atlantic Conference Championships two weeks ago, the Anderson University men's and women's cross country teams will head to the Tar Heel State for the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Southeast Regional, to be hosted on Wingate University's campus on Saturday.
The women's 6K race is set to begin at 10:30 a.m., while the men's 10K race is scheduled for an 11:45 a.m. start.
The top three teams automatically advance to the NCAA Division National Championships while the top three individuals that are not affiliated with a qualifying team and all individuals who finish in the top five at the regional meet and are not part of a qualifying team will automatically advance to the championship finals and earn an individual spot in the national championship field. This year's National Championship is being held at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Mo. on November 21.
The Trojan women were ranked fourth in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Southeast Region Rankings and saw a trio of runners finish in the top 12 at the conference championships. Junior Olivia Gardner earned First-Team All-Conference honors by capturing fourth place, while sophomore Haylee Love also collected First-Team All-SAC accolades with a seventh-place finish. Fellow sophomore Alex Dixon was named Second-Team All-Conference for the second straight year after finishing 12th.
Freshman Martha Coleman narrowly missed garnering Second-Team All- Conference honors, but captured All-Freshman team recognition by crossing the finish line in 22nd. Junior Mia Swiersz finished 31st and freshman Abigail Bozarth crossed the line in 32nd.
Junior Grace Gerlock finished 42nd in a time of 20:55.9, while freshman Maddie Buddenberg and sophomore Allison Halperin finished 50th and 52nd, respectively, with junior Amber Worthy rounding out the Trojan contingent in 56th.
Paced by Gardner's season-best time a year ago, AU finished sixth at the 2014 Southeast Regional, as she finished 23rd. Bari Robinson finished 52nd, while Worthy and Swierzs finished 59th and 60th, respectively, a year ago. While battling an illness, Dixon crossed the line in 66th and Love placed 73rd.
The men's squad saw every runner wearing the Black and Gold at the SAC Championships substantially improve their time from a year ago, with sophomore Mason Hazel and junior Ben Boerma each capturing all-conference honors. Hazel garnered first-team accolades after finishing sixth, while Boerma was named honorable mention all-conference with an 18th-place finish. Junior Ned Kennedy crossed the line in 29th place, while junior Michael Burch slashed nearly two minutes off last years' time and finished 40th. Junior Jesse Patrick was 62nd.
The Trojan men brought home 16th place at last year's NCAA Southeast Regional in Montevallo, Ala., with Hazel claiming 12th as the first freshman to cross the finish line. Burch and Boerma finished 122nd and 130th, respectively, with Kennedy taking the 144th spot.
