SFA Heads To Regional Meet
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 14, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin cross country teams will wrap up the regular season Saturday when they compete in the NCAA South Central Regional Championships. The meet, hosted by Baylor, is set for Cottonwood Creek Golf Course in Waco, Texas.
The meet will begin at 10 a.m. with the women's 6,000-meter race. The men's 10,000-meter run will follow at 10:45. The top 25 individual finishers earn all-region honors, and the top four individuals in each race who are not a part of an advancing team will earn a bid to the NCAA Championships.
SFA is coming off a very strong showing at the Southland Conference Championships. Both the Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks finished second in the team standings, and each squad had a pair of all-conference selections. SFA also swept Freshman of the Year honors with all-conference runners Stephanie Ganter and Mitch Ownbey taking the awards. Sophomore Dennis Yeats was the other all-conference performer in the men's race, while true freshman Brette Fleming-Wood took All-SLC honors in the women's race.
"Everything we've done this year was structured around being on at this time of the year," SFA head coach Lou Snelling said. "I feel good about where we are, in terms of our fitness, and that's because we've done all the right things leading up to this point."
Saturday's regional field will include four teams ranked in the top 25 nationally, on the women's side, and two top 25 squads in the men's race. SFA comes into the meet with its men's team ranked sixth in the region and its women's team ranked ninth.
"We'll definitely be prepared mentally," Snelling said. "A lot of what we did earlier is going to help us with this meet. Going to Auburn and running against so many nationally ranked teams and running at A&M with some big-time competition were a big part of the preparation for this. That's going to help us with what we'll see at regionals."
Results for Saturday's races will be available on Baylor's Web site, www.baylorbears.com, or by clicking here to view the USTFCCCA results site.
-- SFA --
