Nov. 13, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University cross country teams will compete in the NCAA South Regional meet Saturday morning in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The top five runners for each of the squads will compete in hopes of turning in the best performances that Samford has recorded in recent years.
After winning the Southern Conference Championship on the women's side two weeks ago, the Bulldogs look to take that energy and momentum into Saturday to continue a successful year.
"We always look to do our best and this weekend should be no different," Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. "The girls are coming back off of a great high in winning the conference championship and we hope to ride the emotions of that win to our best finish at the regional meet. Our men's team will run hard and see how it goes. We are getting ready for a big track season so ending cross country on a good race will help the mentality going into the track season."
The Samford women are ranked ninth in the South Region standings right now, according to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The highest the women have finished in recent years is sixth in 2004. Last year, the Bulldog women finished 12th, lead by Hillary Neal and Andrea Seccafien who finished 45th and 49th, respectively.
Neal placed fourth in the Southern Conference Championships two weeks ago, followed close behind by Ina Ables in fifth. Neal won the two meets prior to the conference championships, setting course records at each while Ables has come off a year of nagging injuries last year with a pretty successful 2009. All season, she has not finished lower than 27th place while placing in the top ten of the last three meets.
The Samford men will again be led by Blaise Carie. The junior led the men in the first four meets of the season with his highest finishes coming in the Southeast Showdown and the Coach "O" Invitational. He is helped by Scott Cope and Patrick Ollinger. The junior and senior were the top two finishers for the Bulldogs in the conference championship.
Samford had a chance to preview the course that the race will be run on Saturday earlier in the season. The Crimson Classic, which was run on Friday, Sept. 18, was held at Harry Pritchett Running Park, the same course that the NCAA South Regional will call home this year. Along with Samford, other South Region teams that got a peek at the course were Alabama, Auburn, Belmont, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Troy.
The men's 10,000-meter race is slated for 10 a.m. CT, followed by the women's 6,000-meter race at 11:15. Results will be posted prior to the awards ceremonies between the clubhouse and the PA tent. They will also be available online at www.rolltide.com and CFPITiming.com after the meet. A full recap and results will be available on www.samfordsports.com following the meet.
The top 25 individuals in each race will earn All-South Region honors. The top two teams will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships and the next four individual finishers not on the teams will advance as well. A team must finish in the top four to have a chance at a wild card berth to the championship meet on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.
