The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Cross Country Team Set For NCAA South Regional
11/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 10, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB cross country team will run Saturday in the 2006 NCAA South Regional Championships, hosted by the University of Tennessee. The women's meet will be run on a 6,000-meter course at the Lambert Acres Golf Club in Maryville, Tenn.
The Blazers, who captured the Conference USA Championship two weeks ago in Greenville, N.C., are expected to again be among the top teams in the regional meet. Twenty-three teams will compete for the NCAA South Region women's team title and NCAA berths.
UAB has had an outstanding season as in addition to winning the C-USA title, the Blazers have also won meet championships at the Belmont Opener, the Great American Cross Country Festival and the UAH Invitational. The Blazers had four runners (Whitney Mays Elizabeth Hilligoss, Kate Stepp and Kristina Olsen) earn all-league honors at the Conference USA meet on Oct. 28.
UAB head coach Ray Stanfield sees Georgia, host Tennessee, Florida State and Florida as the teams to beat in the meet Saturday.
"If all of them run their best, then it would be very difficult for us to do better than fifth," said Stanfield, "but I don't see that as likely happening. We just need to go out and do what we did at conference and run in a pack, keep our girls together and see what happens."
The South Regional is one of nine NCAA Division I meets taking place across the country this weekend, with the top two teams from each region and the top four individuals non on qualifying teams earning invitations to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 20.
Saturday's meet will start at 10:00 a.m. ET.
