ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University cross country teams will head north on Interstate 85 for the second straight outing when the Trojans venture back to Charlotte, N.C., for the Royals Cross Country Challenge, which will be hosted by Queens, Friday afternoon at McAlpine Creek Park.
The women's 5k race is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start, with the men's 8k race slated for a 5:20 p.m. start. The Challenge is expected to feature more than 60 teams from across the Southeast, including 10 NCAA Division I squads and nine of the 12 schools currently in the South Atlantic Conference.
The Trojans will be competing in Charlotte for the second time in two weeks and the 11th time in 12 seasons, and are acquainted with the course after having traversed McAlpine Creek Park on most of those trips. The course layout will be identical to the one from two weeks ago and is described as "flat, firm and very fast" and is typically where most runners from around the region post their personal-best times.
After battling withering heat in addition to the dozens of other teams two weeks ago, the Trojans can look forward to temperatures possibly as much as 20 degrees cooler than at the Queen City Invite.
In their last appearance on the McAlpine Creek Park course, the AU men finished fourth overall out of 42 squads after out-distancing NCAA Division I schools such as College of Charleston (6th), Western Carolina (7th), Furman (8th), Coastal Carolina (15th), Mercer (16th), Citadel (18th), Presbyterian (26th) and Gardner-Webb (33rd).
Senior Ty Gleason paced the Trojans with a 22nd-place finish, while sophomore Noah McLain finished 29th. Freshman Michael Burgess claimed 38th place, with sophomore Thomas Sutcliffe crossing the finish line in 69th place. Junior Ben Clark finished 71st and freshman Noah Brock finished 96th.
The Trojan women claimed 10th place out of 39 teams two weeks ago, as they out-paced Stetson (10th), Mercer (13th), Citadel (15th), Presbyterian (18th) and Gardner-Webb (22nd).
Freshman Rebecca Ward led the Trojan effort with a personal-best time and crossed the finish line in 46th place. Junior Olivia Rish finished 53rd, with fellow junior Hannah Beach claiming 60th place. Classmate Olivia Evans notched a 62nd-place finish, while freshman Aubrey Stoddard finished 86th.
Senior Kelsey Horner crossed the finish line in 117th, with sophomore Kamryn Osterbind claiming 122nd place. Freshman Autumn Bladen finished 152nd and junior Natalie Ardis rounded out the Black and Gold contingent in 198th place.
