The 2009 Emory University men's and women's cross country teams
head into the homestretch of the season on Saturday (Nov. 14) when
they take part in the NCAA South/Southeast Regional
Championships. This year's competitions will be held at the
Meadows Cross Country Course in Greensboro, North Carolina. Serving
as the host institution for the Championships is Guilford
College. The women's 6K race will begin at 11:00 a.m. while
the men's 8K event is slated for a noon start.
There are eight regional championships being conducted around the
country with the top two men's and women's teams from each regional
earning automatic bids to the NCAA National Championships on
Saturday, Nov. 21, in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition, there
will be 16 at-large teams selected for both the men's and women's
championships.
The Emory women's team has enjoyed considerable success over the
years at the NCAA Regionals, logging first-place efforts in 16 of
the past 18 seasons. In 2008, the Eagles finished second out
of 24 teams with Trinity capturing first-place honors. Two member
of this year's team, senior Rebecca
Flink and sophomore Tess
Gallegos, look to repeat their strong performances of a
year ago that saw them earn all-region honors after placing eighth
and tenth, respectively, in the 169-runner field. In their
most recent outing, the Emory women's team came in fifth at the
University Athletic Association Championships (Oct. 31).
Junior Natalie Fenn (Evanston, IL) was the top
performer for the Eagles with an 11th-place showing in
the 81-runner that enabled her to garner second-team All-UAA
acclaim. Heading into this weekend's action, Emory is ranked
35th nationally and second in the South/Southeast Region
behind Rhodes College.
Last year's men's competition saw Emory record a second-place
finish out of 19 teams. The Eagles totaled 73 points and
trailed only Centre College's effort of 56 points.
Charlie Meade (4th), Tommy
Fyffe (5th) and Paul
Winterhalter (8th) sparked the team's effort by
coming through with top-10 finishes in the 152-runner field.
When this year's Championships take place, Emory will be ranked
13th nationally and No. 1 in the South/Southeast
Region. At the recently held UAA Championships, Emory
tied for second place with Carnegie Mellon. Meade paced the
Eagles' pack with a third-place finish in the 80-runner field while
Winterhalter registered a fourth-place showing. Both Meade
and Winterhalter claimed first-team all-UAA kudos while Fyffe's
eight-place finish landed him second-team honors.
Emory Cross Country Teams Prepare For NCAA Regional Championships
Posted: Nov 12, 2009