The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Cross Country Heads to NCAA Regionals
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Nov. 14, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB Cross Country team is set to take part in the 2008 NCAA South Regional Championship on Saturday. The women's meet will be run on a 6,000-meter course at the Lambert Acres Golf Club in Maryville, Tenn.
The Blazers head into the meet ranked sixth in the region. Florida State, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn round out the region's top five. No. 3 Florida State and No. 15 Florida are the only nationally-ranked teams in the region.
"We go into the South Region Championships ranked sixth," said head coach Ray Stanfield. "But I really think we are better than that. If we run as well as we of are capable of doing, a top 5 finish is very possible."
UAB will be relying on sophomore Stephanie Gammon and junior Kristina Olsen for a good finish. Gammon has finished first for the Blazers in every meet this season, with her best finish being third place at the Walt Disney World Classic on Oct. 11. Olsen has two top-ten finishes on the season and has finished second for the Blazers in four meets.
"Stephanie has put herself in a position to be one of the qualifiers for the NCAA Championships," said Stanfield. "She will have to run a very good race to qualify, but she is more than capable. Kristina Olsen had probably one of the best races of her career at this course in the 2006 regionals, so I expect her to perform at that level again."
In 2006, UAB recorded a seventh-place finish at the Maryville, Tenn. course. In 2007, the Blazers had their second highest finish at a regional meet in school history as they came in fifth place in Gainesville, Fla.
The race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
The South Regional is one of nine NCAA Division I region meets taking place this weekend. The top two teams from each region and four individuals not on qualifying teams receive automatic invitations to the NCAA National Championship on Nov. 24 in Terre Haute, Ind. The remainder of the field will be comprised of 13 at-large teams.
