Cross Country Hosts the NCAA Southeast Regional on Friday
November 11, 2014 | Cross Country
Event: NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championship
Date: Nov. 14, 2014
Start Times: 12:00 p.m. Women's 6K | 1:00 p.m. Men's 10K
Place: E.P. `Tom' Sawyer State Park
THE FIELD: The race will feature 37 teams on the men's side and 40 on the women's from the states of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, totaling over 600 athletes. The men's field includes four teams ranked in the latest USTFCCCA poll, including No. 16 Furman, No. 18 NC State, No. 22 North Carolina and No. 28 Virginia. The women's field features three ranked teams, including No. 11 North Carolina, No. 14 Virginia and No. 18 NC State. The top two squads in each race will receive automatic qualifying berths to the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
THE WEATHER: Conditions are expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 38 degrees on Friday in Louisville, Ky.
The University of Louisville men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional at E.P. `Tom' Sawyer State Park on Friday, Nov. 14. The women's race is set to begin at 12:00 p.m., while the men's race will begin at 1:00 p.m.
The race features teams from Division I schools in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The top two teams from the NCAA Southeast Regional will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships held in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 22. The teams competing that do not receive an automatic bid will have a chance to claim one of the remaining 13 at-large bids.
The Louisville men have finished in the top 10 in four of their five races this season, including an eighth-place finish at the ACC Championships. The men are led by juniors Edwin Kibichiy and Ernest Kibet. Kibichiy won the Meijer Flyer 5K and finished second at the Commodore Classic while Kibet finished second in the Meijer Flyer 5K and third at the Commodore Classic. Kibet edged out Kibichiy by one second to finish third at the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic while Kibichiy finished fourth. In the Pre National Invitational, Kibichiy finished in 15th and Kibet finished in 24th. Most recently, Kibet finished second at the ACC Championships behind a personal-best 8K time of 23:21.7. Kibichiy finished sixth with a time of 23:26.7.
Japhet Kipkoech has finished in the top 20 in three of the five races this season. He finished fourth in the Meijer Flyer 5K and seventh in the Commodore Classic before returning to Louisville and placing 18th in the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic. Jonathan Reynolds and freshmen Daniel Southard and Chris Striegel have also scored for the Cardinals this year. Kyle Covert returned to action in the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic and ran a personal best in the 8K.
The women have finished in the top 15 of every race this season. They are led by sophomores Benadate Cheruiyot and Emily Bushey. Cheruiyot has two top 10 finishes in her four races this season. She finished second at the Meijer Flyer 5K and ninth at the Commodore Classic. Cheruiyot also led the women at the ACC Championships, finishing in 37th place. Bushey led the Cardinals to a fourth-place finish at the Pre National Invitational after crossing the finish line in 15th place. She also finished in 41st at the ACC Championships, coming in just five seconds after Cheruiyot.
Kelsie Schwartz has had a strong freshman season after leading the women with a 38th place finish in the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic and finishing ninth at the Meijer Flyer 5K. Senior Megan Klein had a strong showing in both the Commodore Classic and the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic. She ran a personal best in the Commodore Classic to finish 34th.
NCAA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
MEN'S - Appalachian State, Campbell, Charlotte, The Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Davidson, Duke, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Furman, George Mason, High Point, Kentucky, Liberty, Longwood, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, NC State, North Carolina, Presbyterian, Radford, Richmond, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Wilmington, USC Upstate, VMI, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, Western Kentucky, William and Mary, Winthrop
WOMEN'S - Appalachian State, Campbell, Charlotte, The Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Davidson, Duke, East Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Furman, Gardner-Webb, George Mason, High Point, James Madison, Kentucky, Liberty, Longwood, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, NC State, North Carolina, Presbyterian, Radford, Richmond, South Carolina, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Wilmington, USC Upstate, VMI, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, Western Kentucky, William and Mary, Winthrop
FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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