Friday, November 11
Tallahasse, Fla.
8:30 a.m.
University of North Florida
at
NCAA South Regional
Photo by: ASUN Photos
Cross Country Heads to NCAA South Regional
11/10/2016 9:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The North Florida cross country teams continue postseason competition Friday morning in the NCAA South Regional hosted by Florida State at Apalachee Regional Park.
The South Regional is the first stage in the NCAA National Championship competition. The women's 6k race is set to start at 8:30 a.m. followed at 9:30 a.m. by the men's 10k.Â
The Ospreys are coming off solid performances at the ASUN Championships on Oct. 29. The UNF men claimed the program's first conference title with a dominating performance that featured four of the top five finshers including individual winner, Nick Morken. On the women's side, Eden Meyer set a course record en route to earning the individual crown and leading the team to a third-place showing. At last year's South Regional, the men posted a program best 12th place finish while the women finished 15th.
The field at the South Regional features all of the current USTFCCCA Top 15 ranked squads in the region. Several teams are also ranked in the Top 30 nationally including Ole Miss (No. 14 - women/No. 11 - men) and MTSU (No. 26 - men).
The top two finishing teams get an automatic bid to the National Championship race on Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind. In addition, the top four individual finishers not on a qualifying team also advance to the finals.
Coach Pigg says...
"While they do regional rankings all season, now is when it matters. This is our chance to race a lot of big name schools head to head to see where we stack up against them."
MenÂ
"Fresh off of the ASUN Championship, we are eager to get back at it. These guys have worked hard this year and are looking forward to the opportunity to race some top notch competition at the Regional Championship. I feel like we have momentum here late in the year, so it will be exciting to see how we stack up. Basically, the team trains year-round for the late October and November portion of the season, so hopefully they will perform well. Our men have a strong pack and that should yield a good team finish. While Nick Morken was our front runner at the ASUN meet, we have strength in numbers with Brad Hort, Michael Damato and Tyler Stahl all running very well now. In their case working together will be paramount." Â
Women
"Coming  off of their best race of the season at the ASUN Championship, the women head to the Regional meet led by ASUN Champion Eden Meyer. I think all of the girls running at Regional are very excited to race again. Our season has been pointed towards running well late in the year, and that time is now. We competed well at the ASUN and expect to have that same level of competition on Friday. Grace Meyer, a 2nd team All-ASUN performer, is running well along with Audrey Carpenter, and the freshmen duo of Emma Grantges and Brittany Lang. It will be a good experience for our young team."  Â
Race Distance
"This will be our team's first time running at these distances this season. In the men's 10,000 meters, strength and maturity along with consistent preparation are key factors in being good. For the women in the 6k, it's similar to 5K so a 6K late in the season is where preparation and desire can carry them the extra 1000 meters."Â
Regional Team Rankings
Participating Teams
Women (36 teams): UNF, South Florida, Miami, FIU, FAU, Tennessee Tech, Mercer, FGCU, Belmont, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Georgia, Alabama, UT-Martin, MTSU, Kennesaw State, Jacksonville, Alabama State, Stetson, Southern Miss, UCF, UAB, Georgia State, Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida, Florida State, Memphis, Lipscomb, ETSU, Georgia Southern, Samford, Chattanooga, South Alabama, Tennessee
Men (31 teams): UNF, Georgia, MTSU, FAU, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, South Florida, FGCU, Chattanooga, UT-Martin, Austin Peay, FIU, Alabama, Belmont, Auburn, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Tennessee, Mercer, Samford, ETSU, Kennesaw State, Tennessee Tech, Georgia Tech, Stetson, Troy, Miami, Mississippi State, Florida
Â
The South Regional is the first stage in the NCAA National Championship competition. The women's 6k race is set to start at 8:30 a.m. followed at 9:30 a.m. by the men's 10k.Â
The Ospreys are coming off solid performances at the ASUN Championships on Oct. 29. The UNF men claimed the program's first conference title with a dominating performance that featured four of the top five finshers including individual winner, Nick Morken. On the women's side, Eden Meyer set a course record en route to earning the individual crown and leading the team to a third-place showing. At last year's South Regional, the men posted a program best 12th place finish while the women finished 15th.
The field at the South Regional features all of the current USTFCCCA Top 15 ranked squads in the region. Several teams are also ranked in the Top 30 nationally including Ole Miss (No. 14 - women/No. 11 - men) and MTSU (No. 26 - men).
The top two finishing teams get an automatic bid to the National Championship race on Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind. In addition, the top four individual finishers not on a qualifying team also advance to the finals.
Coach Pigg says...
"While they do regional rankings all season, now is when it matters. This is our chance to race a lot of big name schools head to head to see where we stack up against them."
MenÂ
"Fresh off of the ASUN Championship, we are eager to get back at it. These guys have worked hard this year and are looking forward to the opportunity to race some top notch competition at the Regional Championship. I feel like we have momentum here late in the year, so it will be exciting to see how we stack up. Basically, the team trains year-round for the late October and November portion of the season, so hopefully they will perform well. Our men have a strong pack and that should yield a good team finish. While Nick Morken was our front runner at the ASUN meet, we have strength in numbers with Brad Hort, Michael Damato and Tyler Stahl all running very well now. In their case working together will be paramount." Â
Women
"Coming  off of their best race of the season at the ASUN Championship, the women head to the Regional meet led by ASUN Champion Eden Meyer. I think all of the girls running at Regional are very excited to race again. Our season has been pointed towards running well late in the year, and that time is now. We competed well at the ASUN and expect to have that same level of competition on Friday. Grace Meyer, a 2nd team All-ASUN performer, is running well along with Audrey Carpenter, and the freshmen duo of Emma Grantges and Brittany Lang. It will be a good experience for our young team."  Â
Race Distance
"This will be our team's first time running at these distances this season. In the men's 10,000 meters, strength and maturity along with consistent preparation are key factors in being good. For the women in the 6k, it's similar to 5K so a 6K late in the season is where preparation and desire can carry them the extra 1000 meters."Â
Regional Team Rankings
Men's Poll |
Women's Poll |
Participating Teams
Women (36 teams): UNF, South Florida, Miami, FIU, FAU, Tennessee Tech, Mercer, FGCU, Belmont, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Georgia, Alabama, UT-Martin, MTSU, Kennesaw State, Jacksonville, Alabama State, Stetson, Southern Miss, UCF, UAB, Georgia State, Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida, Florida State, Memphis, Lipscomb, ETSU, Georgia Southern, Samford, Chattanooga, South Alabama, Tennessee
Men (31 teams): UNF, Georgia, MTSU, FAU, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, South Florida, FGCU, Chattanooga, UT-Martin, Austin Peay, FIU, Alabama, Belmont, Auburn, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Tennessee, Mercer, Samford, ETSU, Kennesaw State, Tennessee Tech, Georgia Tech, Stetson, Troy, Miami, Mississippi State, Florida
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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