Senior Sumter native shines as leader for cross country team
First-year graduate student Chelsea France was born in South Carolina, but once she moved away, she took a long route back.
France was raised in Dublin, Ohio, and competed on the cross country team at the University of Virginia before becoming a Gamecock. Her younger sister is already a student at USC, and her father also attended graduate school at South Carolina.
A redshirt due to injury in her freshman year, France has one final year of eligibility as an athlete, and she has used it to become one of USC’s top runners, finishing second among the Gamecocks and 15th overall at the Commodore Classic/SEC Preview Meet two weekends ago. USC finished seventh out of 24 teams.
Unsatisfied with that result, France said she looks forward to improving her performance, specifically at this weekends Charlotte Invitational, and helping the Gamecocks become a competitor at the national level.
“I was OK with [the result at Vanderbilt] — I can’t say that I was extremely excited about it,” France said. “But this coming weekend, I’m hoping to really show what I’ve been working so hard for, and hopefully this weekend will be a better result than [the last meet].
“The whole point is just to constantly improve. I don’t want to peak out so early in the season. Regionals are definitely a focus of mine, because I definitely want to see this team make it to nationals. I’m just going to continue progressing and build off (the Vanderbilt meet).”
The Gamecocks’ top runner, freshman Kayla Lampe, finished second overall at the Commodore Classic, turning in a personal record time of 21:06.24 for a 6K. France said she and Lampe have already developed a close friendship.
“Kayla and I are lucky enough to train together every day, so it’s nice being able to have that person to push me on days when I’m not feeling good, and I can push her on days when she’s not feeling so great,” French said. “It’s very much a collaborative relationship, and I definitely feel like we’ve established a friendship in the short time that I’ve been here.”
Lampe and France finished first and second, respectively, at the Gamecock Invitational, USC’s first competition of the season. That course was a 5K, but the rest of the team’s races this year will take place on 6K courses. France said she prefers the longer distance.
“I feel like it’s such a different race,” France said. “It’s all about placing well and being able to go through the 5K and push yourself through the last [kilometer], just being able to gear where you are within yourself and push yourself in the race. You’re not really looking so much at time as you are at placing well.”
France said she has had no trouble adjusting to South Carolina, a university she always had in the back of her mind as one she would like to attend.
“It’s been very smooth coming to USC,” France said. “The team atmosphere is wonderful. I feel like I’m in a very close family. It’s not just a bunch of teammates and people I run with. I feel like we’ve established a family here. The team and also the coaching staff [have] been very supportive of me and my transition.
“I’ve really enjoyed my first two meets here. It’s still early, and we still have a lot of work to do. But I’m really excited about the season, the way this is going.”