UKXC Women 10th, Men 12th at NCAA SE Regionals

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Kentucky women’s cross country team placed 10th and the men’s squad finished 12th at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship on Friday at Winthrop.

The top-two teams at each regional championship punched automatic bids to the NCAA Championships in Wisconsin next Saturday. 

Caitlin Shepard ran 20:35.80 to place 22nd and earn All-Southeast Region honors.

Women’s team report
Shepard led the Wildcats to a 10th-place finish, one spot better than they did a year ago.

“That was a really good way to cap off the season,” Shepard said. “With All-Region and then getting a PR. It was really nice to get an official PR to end the season. The year went really well especially for just returning two girls and bringing in 10 freshmen, having five of them race at regionals is a big deal.
 
“Even though we may not have placed as high as we were hoping to, 10th was still a good way to finish off the season.”
 
Rachel Boice was 53rd in 21:12.40, Sophie Carrier was 60th in 21:19.00, Mallory Liggett was 71st in 21:30.10 and Kelli Walsh rounded out UK’s scorers in 21:30.20.
 
The UK women’s squad was ranked No. 9 in the Southeast Region going into the weekend.
 
Men’s team report
Ben Young led the way for UK in 30:44.20 to place 27th individually as UK was 12th as a team.
 
Brennan Fields was 38th in 30:59.00, freshman Trevor Warren placed 76th in 31:53.20, Matthew Thomas ran 31:57.10 and Patrick Schaefer was UK’s last scorer in 83rd (31:59.20).

The UK men’s squad was ranked No. 7 in the Southeast Region entering Friday’s competition.
 
The UK men’s team placed eighth at the 2017 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Advancement
In addition to the 18 automatic bids coming from the nine regional meets, which took place around the nation on Friday, another 13 at-large bids will be extended Saturday based on 2018 competition résumés – based largely on head-to-head.
 
The top-four individual regional finishers not on advancing teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. Individual at-large bids can also be extended. Those at-large bids will be announced with the full NCAA Championships field on Saturday.

The southeast region includes all Division I universities in Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
 
Cross country refresher
Points are scored in cross country corresponding to finishing place. The place of each of the top five finishers on each team are added up and the team with the lowest total wins. Placers outside a team’s top five cannot score so finishers on other teams that might finish behind a team’s No. 6 or No. 7 finisher can get a point total fewer than their overall place in the race.
 
Women’s team results
1. NC State: 70
2.  Furman: 94
3. Duke: 139
{
10. Kentucky: 278

Women’s Individual Results (winner + UK)
1. D Wasike (UofL): 19:42.10
}
22. Caitlin Shepard: 20:35.80
53. Rachel Boice: 21:12.40
60.  Sophie Carrier: 21:19.00
71. Mallory Liggett: 21:30.10
72. Kelli Walsh: 21:30.20
91. Sarah Michels: 21:44.50
97. Madisyn Peeples: 21:48.90

Men’s Team Results
1. NC State: 83
2. Eastern Kentucky: 90
}
12. Kentucky: 303
 
Men’s Individual Results (Winner + UK)
1. J. Sugira (EKU): 29:26.90
27. Ben Young: 30:44.20
38. Brennan Fields: 30:59.00
76. Trevor Warren: 31:53.20
79. Matthew Thomas: 31:57.10
83. Patrick Schaefer: 31:59.20
95. Kendall Muhammad: 32:07.30
137. Tanner Dowdy: 33:03.70
 
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