Cross Country Set to Host Saturday's NCAA Southeast Regional
November 08, 2006 | Cross Country
Nov. 8, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With automatic bids to the NCAA Championships at stake, the University of Louisville men's and women's cross country program will return to action this weekend as the host institution for Saturday's NCAA Division I Southeast Regional at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville.
The event, which will feature schools from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, will begin at 11 a.m. ET with the women's 6-kilometer race followed by the men's 10-kilometer race at 12:15 p.m., and will conclude with an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. The top two teams in each race will earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 20 in Terre Haute, Ind.
"It's great for the University of Louisville cross country program to host a meet of this magnitude," said UofL head coach Ron Mann. "The course is in great shape, and everyone with the Greater Louisville Sports Commission has done a wonderful job of preparing for this competition."
One of the favorites entering the men's race is North Carolina State, ranked eighth in this week's USTFCCCA Division I Top 30 Poll. The top challengers to the Wolfpack are expected to be No. 25 Virginia, No. 26 Louisville and defending Southeast Regional champion William & Mary.
Leading the way in the women's race is North Carolina State, currently ranked No. 2 in this week's USTFCCCA Division I Top 30 Poll. The top challenge for the Atlantic Coast Conference Champions should come from ACC foe Duke, ranked 14th this week, No. 22 Virginia and No. 26 Virginia Tech.
"We've made great progress with both of our teams this season, and I feel like we're ready for this competition," Mann said. "Our goal entering the season was to be in a position to improve on last year's performances at this point in the year, and we're ready to do that. This is a big race for our program and we want to see as many UofL fans as possible at `Tom' Sawyer Park on Saturday."
The Cardinal men's team, which finished sixth at last year's NCAA Southeast Regional in Greenville, N.C., enters this year's event following a fourth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championships on Oct. 27 in Boston. Leading the way for the UofL men at the conference race was a trio of All-BIG EAST performers, including sophomore Cory Thorne in sixth, junior Wesley Korir in eighth and senior Wes Seacat in 13th. Overall, the nationally ranked Cardinal men trailed only No. 20 Providence, No. 16 Georgetown and No. 12 Notre Dame.
On the women's side, freshman Tarah McKay led the young Cardinal runners to an eighth-place finish in the field of 16 teams with her All-BIG EAST performance (11th place overall). No. 12 Providence won the women's title, followed by No. 18 Georgetown.
The NCAA Southeast Regional in Louisville is one of nine regional events around the nation scheduled for Saturday where the top two teams in each race will earn automatic bids (18 men and 18 women) to the national championships. The remaining 13 spots in the field of 31 for each championship race will be filled by at large selections based on points scored against other championship caliber squads.
The University of Louisville men's and women's cross country program is seeking its first-ever bid to the NCAA Championships.
