Wake Forest to Compete at Royals Challenge on Saturday
10/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Live Results | Meet Information
By Scott Wortman, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's and women's cross country teams are back in action on Saturday, racing on their third consecutive weekend, at the Royals Challenge in Charlotte, N.C.
The meet will be hosted by Queens University Charlotte and held at McAlpine Creek Park, site of the Foot Locker High School Southeast Championships. The women's 5k race is set to begin at 11 a.m. followed by the men's 8k race at 11:30 a.m.
"The challenge of running on a fast, fairly flat course should be good preparation for the remaining meets on the schedule," said Wake Forest head coach John Millar. "I am eager to see who among the group steps up and performs at the level needed to be an ACC participant.
The Demon Deacons continue to mix up their lineups as they prepare for postseason competition beginning with the ACC Championships on Oct. 31. The women's team will send out its normal contingent of athletes after resting the top group at last weekend's Upstate Invitational.
The men ran their full squad last week and will run a limited group on Saturday.
"With our top 6-7 runners firmly established, we are going to rest our top group this week and send the remaining athletes to Charlotte," said Millar. "This is an opportunity for them to establish their spot as we look to round out our team of 10 for the ACC Championships in three weeks."
The Wake Forest men won last weekend's Upstate Invitational, placing five runners in the top 11 to handily beat out ACC rival Georgia Tech for the meet title. Junior Kent Garrett continued to pace the Deacons, finishing in second place and just 10 seconds shy of first.
The Wake Forest women finished fourth of 17 teams at the Upstate Invitational. The Deacons were led by sophomore Kathryn Lazarchick in 15th place.
"Following a two-week break from competition, I am looking forward to watching the ladies compete against some very good competition," said Millar. "I feel as though our group as a whole is continuing to make great progress in practice, and I will be looking to see how this transfers into competition. This will be an important meet for us in helping to determine our top 6-7 individuals for the ACC Championships."
Both the Wake Forest men's and women's squads remained steady in the Southeast Region rankings this week. The women are ranked fifth in the region, while the men are 11th.
Following the Royals Challenge, the Deacons will race at two meets on Friday, Oct. 18: the Blue Ridge Open in Boone, N.C. and the Western Carolina Catamount Classic in Cullowhee, N.C. Wake Forest will then have a weekend off before competing at the ACC Championships on Halloween morning in Earlysville, Va.
Players Mentioned
