USC Upstate Set to Host NCAA Southeast Cross Country Regional on Friday
By USC Upstate Athletics
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Two automatic team bids are up for grabs Friday as the USC Upstate Spartans and One Spartanburg welcome teams from across Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to Spartanburg for the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Southeast Regional.
MEET INFORMATION |
RESULTS
The Spartans are hosting the qualifying meet for the first time and are welcoming 42 schools from including five ranked men's (No. 5 North Carolina, No. 13 Virginia, No. 14 Furman, No. 28 Eastern Kentucky, and No. 29 Wake Forest) and three ranked women's teams (No. 2 NC State, No. 10 Virginia, and No. 25 Furman). The top two finishing teams will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships held in Virginia, while the first four individual regional finishers not from an automatically qualifying team will earn the right to compete for the national championship as well.
Last year, North Carolina won the men's southeast regional held in Louisville, Ky., while NC State earned the second automatic bid. The roles were reversed for the women's competition where the Wolfpack took first, and the Tar Heels finished just behind.
Friday's Meet
2023 NCAA Cross Country Southeast Regional
November 10, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. (Women's 6K); 12:00 p.m. (Men's 10K)
Milliken Research Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
Teams (42):
App State, Charleston Southern, Charlotte, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Davidson, Duke, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Furman, George Mason, High Point, James Madison, Kentucky, Liberty, Longwood, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, N.C. Central, NC State, Norfolk State, North Carolina, Northern Kentucky, Presbyterian, Radford, Richmond, South Carolina, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, UNCW, USC Upstate, VCU, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI, Wake Forest, William & Mary, Winthrop, Wofford
Event Preview
Last year, the men's team took home a top-25 finish in the region last season with Noah White earning the top finish on the team, but Monroe Thompkins fought for the best finish across the returning members of the team. The women's team was led by Allie Leavitt and Heaven (Allen) Bennett, who finished within one second of each other.
Last week in the Big South Championships, Nigel Dos Santos led the way then for the men's team, taking a top-25 finish as the only Spartan to finish the 8K at a sub-26 minute pace. He was followed by Carter Sexton and Sam Shimanskiy who finished just a hair above the 26 minute mark, but took top-30 finishes for their effort.
On the women's side, Jordan Thornton's team lead performance made her one of only eight freshmen in the Big South to finish their 6K in under 19:10. She and Heaven (Allen) Bennett led the way for the Spartans much like they have most of the season, as the two broke through the 20-minute mark and earned top-40 marks. The two standout Spartans on opposite ends of their collegiate careers will look to lead the effort.
Historically, the Spartans peforrm well on their home course and hope that success carries forward to Friday.