ANDERSON, S.C. - On the heels of a second-place finish at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational, the regionally sixth-ranked women's cross country team will compete at the South Atlantic Conference Championships on Saturday.

The 5k event, scheduled to start at 10:15 a.m., will be hosted by Catawba College in Salisbury, NC.

In the women's championship, Wingate will be looking to defend last year's SAC title, which was the program's first since 2007. The Bulldogs are ranked second in the latest USTFCCCA Southeast Region poll. Among the competitors in the women's race will be two Wingate runners who finished third and fourth at last year's championships, as Morgan Neher and Alyssa Johnson each returned for their sophomore campaigns.

Also earning spots in the most recent USTFCCCA Southeast Region rankings are Mars Hill at No. 4 and Queens at No. 8.

Anderson will be looking for its third SAC title after claiming back-to-back conference championships in 2010 and 2011. Paced by Sydney Hazel's 11th-place finish, the Trojans finished fourth at last year's championship.

The Trojans are coming off a two-week layoff after competing at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational. AU saw four runners post top-10 finishes, with freshman Haylee Love slashed more than two minutes off her career-best time to lead the Trojans with a third-place effort. Fellow freshman Alex Dixon was just behind in fourth, while sophomore Olivia Gardner brought home sixth place. Hazel crossed the line in 10th, with sophomore Bari Robinson placing 14th. Classmate Mia Swiersz also notched a personal-best time to claim the 17th spot.

Freshman Allison Halperin set a season-best time and crossed the line in 19th, while sophomore Amber Worthy finished 22nd. Sophomore Grace Gerlock claimed 28th and freshman Taylor Morris took 31st.

As a team, Anderson has placed second on two occasions and sixth at two meets this season, with Dixon and Gardner each leading the team twice.