Wake Forest to Compete at NCAA Southeast Regional
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
NCAA Regional Website | 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 2015 NCAA Southeast Regional on Friday afternoon at E.P. `Tom' Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
The postseason meet, hosted by ACC rival Louisville, will begin at 12 p.m. with the women's 6k followed by the men's 10k race at 1 p.m.
"We are looking forward to this weekend's regional competition, with the goal of showing significant improvement over last year's results," said Wake Forest head coach John Millar.
Wake Forest last competed at the ACC Championships on Oct. 31 in Earlysville, Virginia. The Demon Deacon men finished 11th overall while the women took ninth at the conference meet.
Junior Samantha Jones was the lone Deacon to earn All-ACC honors, as she finished 21st individually in the women's race. Freshman Cate Allen was not far behind Jones in her first conference championships, finishing in 30th and just 12 seconds behind the top 21.
"I am looking for the women to continue to build on the success they have had so far this season," said Millar. "With our top three runners firmly established, it will be important for two of the remaining four competitors to challenge themselves to be a solid 4-5 in the finish order. These final two places will be key to a high finish. I believe the ladies have worked really hard all fall and that this effort will show in their performance this weekend."
The men were led by junior Kent Garrett, who finished 52nd individually.
"Following a disappointing ACC meet, I have challenged the men to focus on the regionals as a way to end the season on a positive note," said Millar. "The goal for this meet is to run a lot more aggressively from the beginning, putting them in a more competitive spot early in the race. Again, our success will depend on a total team effort with all five runners staying as close together as possible."
The regional meet, which encompasses schools from the states of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, features 37 teams on the men's side and 40 on the women's side.
The men's field includes four teams ranked in the latest USTFCCCA poll, including No. 16 Furman, No. 18 NC State, No. 22 North Carolina and No. 28 Virginia. The women's field features three ranked teams, including No. 11 North Carolina, No. 14 Virginia and No. 18 NC State.
The top two squads in each race will receive automatic qualifying berths to the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The teams that do not receive an automatic bid will have a chance to claim one of the remaining 13 at-large bids.
Last season the Demon Deacon men finished 17th and the women 13th at the NCAA Southeast Regional held in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Wake Forest women last qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2006, when they finished fifth at the regional and 27th at the championships. The men last qualified in 2001 when they placed third at the regional and 19th at the NCAAs.
The 2014 NCAA Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22, in Terre Haute, Ind.
NCAA Southeast Regional - Men's Field
Appalachian State, Campbell, Charlotte, The Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Davidson, Duke, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Furman, George Mason, High Point, Kentucky, Liberty, Longwood, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, NC State, North Carolina, Presbyterian, Radford, Richmond, UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, USC Upstate, VMI, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, Western Kentucky, William and Mary, Winthrop
NCAA Southeast Regional - Women's Field
Appalachian State, Campbell, Charlotte, The Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Davidson, Duke, East Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Furman, Gardner-Webb, George Mason, High Point, James Madison, Kentucky, Liberty, Longwood, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, NC State, North Carolina, Presbyterian, Radford, Richmond, South Carolina, UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, USC Upstate, VMI, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Western Carolina, Western Kentucky, William and Mary, Winthrop
Players Mentioned
