The Virginia Tech cross country programs departed Blacksburg on Thursday and headed for Rock Hill, South Carolina, the site of the 2018 NCAA Southeast Regional cross country meet being held at Winthrop Farm on Winthrop University's campus.
MEET INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Nov. 9
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina
Course: Winthrop Farm (at Winthrop Coliseum)
Times: women's race (11 a.m.); men's race (noon)
Distances: 6K (women), 10K (men)
Admission: free
Rosters, box assignments and venue information: (click here)
Live results: http://flashresults.com/2019_Meets/xc/NCAASE/
The Tech men's team will be one of 38 squads competing in the regional, while 41 teams will be competing on the women's side, including the Hokies. The men's field includes two nationally ranked ACC teams, according to the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national poll, in NC State (No. 26) and Virginia (No. 28). The women's field includes a ranked ACC team in NC State (No. 11).
The top two teams in each race at the regional meet receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships being held at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin on Nov. 17.
MEET NOTES
• The Tech men finished second last year at the Southeast Regional held at Panorama Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships – the program's best finish at a regional since winning it in 1987.
• Peter Seufer headlines the Tech men's team after winning the ACC title at the ACC Championships held Oct. 26 at Franklin Park in Boston. He edged Wake Forest's Zach Facioni in the final few hundred meters to become the program's 11th individual conference champion in cross country and the third individual ACC cross country champion.
• Seufer, who has won twice this year, earned All-Southeast Region honors a year ago after finishing ninth at the regional meet.
• Tech runners Fitsum Seyoum, Jack Joyce and Bashir Mosavel-Lo all finished in the top 50 at this year's ACC meet, leading the Tech men to a sixth-place finish.
• The Tech women came in fourth at last year's Southeast Regional, which tied for their second-best finish at a regional meet and marked their best finish since coming in third in 2006.
• Sara Freix and Lauren Berman anchor the Tech women's team, as both earned All-ACC honors following top-20 finishes at the ACC Championships. Freix came in 13th, while Berman was 17th.
• Kayla Richardson, Sarah Edwards and Rachel Pocratsky all finished in the top 50 at the ACC Championships as well, helping the Hokies to a fifth-place finish.
• Richardson and Edwards earned All-Southeast Region honors in 2017 after coming in 22nd and 24th, respectively.
COMING UP
The NCAA Cross Country Selection Show will be held Saturday at 5 p.m. and can be watched on the NCAA website at NCAA.com. Both Tech squads could be in line for an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships provided either or both do not finish in the top two at the regional meet. The Tech men would be looking to make their eighth appearance at the NCAA Championships in program history, while an appearance at this year's Championships would be the third in program history for the Tech women.
