Wake Forest to Compete at ACC Championships
10/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
ACC Championships Site | Watch Live on ESPN3 | Live Results
By Scott Wortman, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeTrack)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete at the 2014 ACC Championships on Friday morning at Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Virginia.
The conference meet, hosted by Virginia, will begin at 10 a.m. with the women's 6k followed by the men's 8k race at 10:45 a.m. Both races will be televised live on ESPN3.
"I'm anxious to see how much both the men and women have improved over last season. We are certainly looking to improve over last year's finish," said Wake Forest head coach John Millar. "I believe we have had a very good fall, and the ACC meet will be our toughest test to date."
Last season the Demon Deacon men and women both finished 10th at the ACC Championships, hosted by Wake Forest at Beeson Park in Kernersville.
With a host of returning veterans from last season, both the men and women have enjoyed success this fall. The men have won meet win to their credit, the season-opening Covered Bridge Open, while the women have won three meets--the Covered Bridge Open, the Furman Classic and the Royals Challenge.
The Deacon women, who have finished no lower than fourth at every event this year, are led by junior Samantha Jones who has two individual titles under her belt. Jones won the Covered Bridge Open and the Royals Challenge, after which she was named ACC Performer of the Week.
Freshman Cate Allen and junior Kathleen Darling have been right behind Jones this fall to give the Deacons a fast trio to pace the team.
"I believe they are in a good place," said Millar. "We have three solid top runners and Kaitlyn Oliver has been on the upswing as of late as the fourth. Our finish will depend on how well our fourth and fifth runners do."
The Wake Forest men are led by a veteran group including junior Kent Garrett, senior Alexander Rose and sophomore Jacob Poyner. Garrett won the individual title at the Covered Bridge Open and finished second at the Upstate Invitational. Poyner and Rose have combined to lead the Deacons in three meets as well, most recently the Blue Ridge Open where they finished seventh and eight respectively.
"It's important to run as a group up in the top third of the pack for the men," said Millar. "Everyone will be counted on to perform at their best. There are teams which we should beat but it is necessary for us to beat several who we haven't in order to move up in the conference."
Wake Forest has experience on the Panorama Farms course after competing at the UVa Invitational there on Sept. 26. The women took third at the meet, while the men finished ninth.
The men's field on Friday will feature four teams ranked nationally, while the women's field has six ranked squads.
Following the ACC Championships, the Deacons will race at the NCAA Southeast Regional on Nov. 14 in Louisville, Ky.
Players Mentioned
