CLINTON, S.C. - The Presbyterian College men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Spartanburg, S.C. on Friday evening to participate in their first race of the season. USC Upstate will host the annual Eye Opener event at the Roger Milliken Center located just off I-85. Fans will note the collegiate event, unlike previous seasons, will be on Friday night starting at 7 and 7:30 p.m. and not Saturday morning.
Twenty teams are expected to be in attendance, including both team winners from 2010. Furman won the men's race last season while UNC Charlotte won the women's event. Both teams put four runners in the top-10 to defeat second place USC Upstate. PC finished 16th overall out of 20 and 22 teams respectively.
Other teams who have registered are as follows: Anderson, Benedict, Brevard, Carson-Newman, Catawba, Clemson, College of Charleston, Converse, Davidson, Lees-McRae, Lenoir-Rhyne, Limestone, Mars Hill, Pfeiffer, Presbyterian College, Southern Wesleyan, Spartanburg Methodist, and USC Upstate.
The top returners for the Blue Hose are senior Stephanie Newell (Inman, S.C.) and sophomores Richard Taylor (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Ryan Wasilewski (Easley, S.C.). Four freshmen are expected to have an immediate impact on the team's scoring with Gabriele Lesieur (Augusta, Ga.), Jessica Hatchell (Darlington, S.C.), Jennifer Lockman (Woodruff, S.C.), and JJ Carruth (Landrum, S.C.) all set for their inaugural collegiate races.
The women's 5k race will start first at 7:00 p.m. The men will follow with an 8k at 7:30 p.m. High schools will race a 5k on Saturday morning.
