Gamecocks finish in top 10; first 5 runners record personal best times
After being selected to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC in the preseason coaches poll, the Gamecocks exceeded expectations when they finished ninth in the SEC championship race. The first five runners to cross the finish line recorded personal best times, lifting the Gamecocks into the top 10.
“We’re all really happy,” coach Stan Rosenthal said. “It was a great effort, particularly since we got buried at the start.”
The Gamecocks were met with difficulties even before the race began. Freshman runner Christine Kent fell down during warm-ups prior to the race. Rosenthal said she hurt her knee and thought she broke her wrist. Despite the setback, however, Kent managed to recover, beating her personal record by four seconds.
Two runners beat their personal records by 40 seconds. Freshman Mary Fouse and sophomore Meredith Mill both clocked record times.
The Gamecocks’ lead runners also finished with strong performances.
Freshman Kayla Lampe finished 13th, and she lowered her personal record by 15 seconds. First-year graduate student Chelsea France also had a good day, finishing 23rd and setting a personal best by 20 seconds.
In preparation for the race, Rosenthal said the team focused on high places rather than fast times. Consequently, the team focused on setting placement goals for themselves.
“We wanted to have all five of our [lead] runners in the top-75,” Rosenthal said. “We came close to that. Our fourth and fifth were 79 and 80.”
Rosenthal said Lampe had three goals, either to finish in the top five, the top 10 or the top 15. The freshman fulfilled one of those by finishing in 13th place.
Over the course of the race, Rosenthal noted that the girls were concerned with passing as many other runners as possible after their slow start. “Mary passed 60 and Meredith and Penny [Boswell] passed 50-something. Kayla and Chelsea each passed probably 30 people.”
With a strong performance behind them, Rosenthal feels that the girls are confident about the upcoming NCAA regional race. “Our main goal is to get into the top 10, and the higher up in the top 10 the better,” Rosenthal said. “They believe that they can beat those teams and that’s a huge difference. If you line up in a race with 200-plus people and you believe that you can beat most of them, then chances are that you can.”
The team is also optimistic because it performed well against stout competition. Rosenthal believes that facing quality opponents makes the team stronger because it must race at a higher level.
“The SEC is so difficult,” Rosenthal said. “First round of the NCAA is going to be just like the SEC. I think that’s going to be an advantage for us, and the girls are used to that. I like to think that what we’ve gone through this year has helped prepare us for doing well at this next race.”
The team is ninth in the Cross Country Coaches Association Southeast Regional rankings and will compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships on Nov. 9.