NCAA DII South Central Regional Championship Web Site
ABILENE – Five members of the Abilene Christian cross country teams will head to the former Hawk Ridge Golf Course in Wichita Falls, Texas Saturday morning for the NCAA DII South Central Regional Championships.
Freshman Fabian Wessel-Terharn and sophomores
Erik Forrister and Will Pike will represent ACU's men's team, while the women's team will consist of juniors Chloe Susset and Alyse Goldsmith. These individuals not only were among ACU's top racers at the Lone Star Conference Championships two weeks ago, but also did exceedingly well during the Midwestern State Invitational held in early October.
Pike won the men's 10K on the same course used for regionals in 34:33.5, and Forrister finished among the top-10 in 35:43. Susset and Goldsmith, meanwhile, placed first and third in the 6K with marks of 22:01.1 and 22:15.1.
Susset and Goldsmith then went on to claim the silver and bronze medals at the conference championships with times of 21:51 and 22:09.
“I think both Chloe and Alyse can qualify for nationals, and I'm excited for the men to get additional 10K experience as we move toward the track season,” head coach Chris Woods said. “We've been training the same way as a group since conference and it's been good to see everyone making progress over the last few weeks.”
The top two finishing teams for both the women and men and the top two individual finishers not associated with those teams advance to the NCAA DII Championship at Plantes Ferry Athletic Complex on Nov. 19 in Spokane, Wash.
The women's race will be run on a 6-kilometer loop and begins at 9 a.m., while the men will run a 10-kilometer course commencing shortly after the conclusion of the women's race.
Woods says the regional course is the second most difficult ACU has competed on this year next to Oklahoma State, but says everyone should be able to use his or her experience as an advantage. Course trademarks include a long steady incline and a snakelike path leading to the finish line, allowing spectators to watch the last kilometer of racing unobstructed.
