Nov. 8, 2012
THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s cross country team are set to compete in the 2012 NCAA South Region Championship Friday morning at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla hosted by Florida State. The women’s 6K is scheduled to being at 8:30 a.m., followed by the men’s 10K at 9:15 a.m.
The competition field features 38 teams in the women’s race and 33 squads on the men’s side for a total of over 480 runners. As one of nine regional competitions, the meet will ultimately determine the field for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 17 in Louisville, Ky. The top two teams from each region will advance, as well as the top four individuals not on a qualifying team.
In the women’s race, Florida State and Florida are ranked No. 1 and 14 in the nation, respectively. Florida State’s men’s squad is also ranked nationally, weighing at No. 23.
Nine Yellow Jackets represent the Georgia Tech men’s team, which is ranked fifth in the USTFCCCA’s South Region poll. The women send eight athletes to the starting line, and the team is No. 12 in the South Region poll.
At the ACC Championships on Oct. 27 in Blacksburg, Va., both Tech teams claimed ninth place.
Katie Townsend was the top finisher for the Tech women, running the 6K in a career-best time of 21:58 for 46th place. The Georgia Tech men were led by Shawn Roberts who logged a time of 25:14 for 51st place in the 8K.
