Upstate Hosts ASUN Cross Country Championships on Saturday
10/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's cross country teams will host the ASUN Championships for the first time in school history on Saturday at the Milliken Research Center. The women's race will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by the men's race at 9:30 a.m. Admission to the event is free.
"Hosting cross country meets is something we have been doing for years and our goal is to always create a good meet and an environment that athletes can thrive in," head coach Carson Blackwelder said. "We're looking forward to running at home this weekend."
The women's team has been led in three of four meets this season by junior Leah Jostes. Jostes ran a personal-best 19:49.23 5k time at the Upstate Invitational on Oct. 1 and was named the ASUN Runner of the Week on Sept. 21. In Upstate's last race on Oct. 14, senior Essence Jackson led the way in the first 6k race of the season as she finished in 24:41.02. Alicia Chavez also ran a personal-best at the Upstate Invitational, finishing under the 20-minute mark at 19:58.59.
The Upstate men's team has had a solid season with three top-five finishes including a win at the Winthrop Invitational on Sept. 17. The Spartans have been led by seniors Theodore Kountourogiannis and Alex Love, who have been the top finishing runners at every meet this season. Kountourogiannis ran a personal-best 25:53.42 in the 8k at the Upstate Invitational on Oct 1. Love was named the ASUN Runner of the Week on Sept. 21 after scoring the first top-five finish of his career with a third place result.
Last season, the Upstate men scored a fourth place finish at the ASUN Cross Country Championships in Jacksonville, Fla. and was led by First Team All-Conference runner Griffin Eubanks. The women's team scored a seventh place finish at the meet hosted by North Florida.
Upstate will wrap up its season on Nov. 11 at the NCAA Southeast Regional in Earlysville, Va.
Follow Upstate cross country on your mobile device, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
