Gamecocks start season Friday 
There is change in the air when it comes to cross country at South Carolina, if you ask coach Stan Rosenthal. After a 2011 season riddled with misfortune and injuries led to an 11th place finish in the SEC, this year the Gamecocks are determined to make it right.
With the 2012 season looming, the runners are looking to achieve the lofty goal set forth by Rosenthal of climbing from the basement of the SEC to establish the program as a respectable power within the conference. South Carolina kicks off the cross country season at the Gamecock Invitational on Friday at Hilton Field in Fort Jackson.
“In my years here it’s really the first time I’ve got a group of women all willing to work hard enough to make our goals a real possibility,” Rosenthal said.
Senior Virginia transfer Chelsea France, track-converted star Kayla Lampe and team captains Penny Boswell and Meredith Mill will lead the Gamecocks as the top four runners on the squad.
“On paper our top four are pretty good,” Rosenthal said. “The important thing is keeping those four healthy, having good days when it counts and finding our fifth, sixth and seventh runners.”
The final three within the top seven could emerge from a variety of places within the team. For example, the 2012 season will feature the largest recruiting class in the history of South Carolina cross country with 16 freshman runners. Rosenthal has nothing but glowing reviews of his freshman class.
“In my 12 years it’s our best freshman class in terms of quality up front,” Rosenthal said. “I feel confident that there are so many that by the end of the year, numbers five through seven will be at least close to Penny, Meredith, Kayla and Chelsea.”
But Rosenthal said the team knows it won’t come easy, and the offseason training regimen will be challenging. Rosenthal wasted no time this fall working the team hard to improve each individual’s time.
“One of our core workouts is doing four repeat miles with two minutes rest,” Rosenthal said. “The idea is to do that workout twice a month in the fall ... Then hopefully we’re a lot faster when the SEC (Championships) roll around.”
What is the final goal? Rosenthal took great pride in explaining just how much his group can accomplish.
“Our main goal is to finish in the top half of the SEC and top 10 in the first round of the NCAAs,” Rosenthal said. “If I’m dreaming, let’s say fifth in the SEC ... and fifth in the first round of the NCAAs. That would be really special. But dreams can’t happen if you don’t have them. That’s the message we’ve been trying to instill. It’s certainly a possibility.”