MONTEVALLO, Ala. - Paced by sophomore Olivia Gardner's season-best time, the Anderson women's cross country team finished sixth at the 2014 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championships, hosted by the University of Montevallo on Saturday, at the University of Montevallo Cross Country Course.
The host Falcons captured the event, with North Georgia taking second and Wingate claiming third. Queens University of Charlotte, which finished fourth as a team, saw two runners take the top two spots, as Catie Byrd and Megan Wright finished first and second, respectively.
Last year, the Trojans finished 14th at the Southeast Regionals, but moved up dramatically with six AU runners posting season-bests at the 6k distance. Gardner took the 23rd spot in a time of 23:34.32 and earned All-Region honors, while senior Sydney Hazel claimed 36th in a time of 24:13.51. Sophomore Bari Robinson finished 52nd in a time of 24:31.23, while fellow sophomores Amber Worthy (24:39.81) and Mia Swierzs (24:40.84) finished 59th and 60th, respectively.
Despite being ill, freshman standout Alex Dixon crossed the line in 66th in a time of 24:50.21, while SAC Freshman of the Year Haylee Love placed 73rd in a time of 24:58.30 after losing a shoe midway through the race.
