Cross Country to Compete in Charlotte Invitational Friday
9/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 29, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's and women's cross country teams will compete in their third race of the season on Friday afternoon when they travel to Charlotte, N.C. for the fourth annual Charlotte Invitational at historic McAlpine Creek Park.
This year's event will be one of the largest meets in the Southeast, with 43 women's teams and 36 men's teams set to compete. Approximately 1,000 runners will toe the line over the course of the afternoon on Friday, which is about triple the number from last year.
Due to the large number of teams competing, the meet will be split into four races, including men's and women's "A" races, along with men's and women's non-scoring "B" races. The meet will kickoff at 4 pm with the women's 5k "A" race, and the men's 8k "A" event will follow at 4:45 p.m.
Leading the way for the Deacs on the women's side, as she has done all season, will be sophomore Nicole Irving. Irving has finished first among Wake Forest runners in each of the past two meets, including a first-place overall finish at the Covered Bridge Open on Sept. 2.
Irving finished second overall at the Clemson Invitational on Sept. 16 in a personal-best 6k time of 20:46. For her efforts thus far, Irving has been named ACC Cross Country Performer of the Week twice in the past month, becoming the only male or female ACC runner to receive the award multiple times this season.
Fellow sophomore Melanie Powers has also raced well for the Deacs this season, finishing third on the team at the Covered Bridge Open and second at the Clemson Invitational.
A trio of freshmen has had a significant impact on the women's squad, with West Hartford, Conn. native Aubrey Waggoner leading the way with a third-place finish for the Deacs at the Clemson Invitational in a 6k time of 22:33.02.
Freshman Kaitlyn Oliver has finished fifth on the team in each of the past two meets, while Natalie Sukramani has placed sixth.
Red-shirt junior Casey Fowler saw her first racing action of the season at the Clemson Invitational, as she finished fourth on the team and 50th overall in 23:09.53 (6k).
On the men's side, junior Garret Drogosch turned in his first top-ten performance of the season at the Clemson Invitational, finishing tenth overall and first among Wake Forest runners in a personal-best 8k time of 24:34.56.
Senior Tom Morrison also turned in a new personal-best 8k time at the Clemson Invitational, finishing in 24:56.60 to place 24th overall and second on the team.
Along with Drogosch and Morrison, junior Tom Finneran has also raced well for the Deacs on the season, finishing second among Wake Forest runners at the Covered Bridge Open and fourth at the Clemson Invitational.
Senior Paul Loeser paced the Deacs at the Covered Bridge Open, finishing second overall and first on the team in an 8k time of 25:40.2
Freshmen Connor Crowley, Brian O'Toole, Jake Dearmon, and Daniel Segall have also seen racing action thus far on the season.
Following the Charlotte Invitational, the Deacs will travel to Boone, N.C. for the Blue Ridge Open on Oct. 14.
For a detailed race schedule and additional meet details, check out the meet program PDF. Live results will also be available directly following each race on www.FlashResults.com.
Players Mentioned
