 |
| Kate Niehaus at the 2002 Footlocker Nationals (footlockercc.com). |
The Great American Cross-Country festival is scheduled to take place for the fifth year starting on Friday, Sept. 26 and will finish on September 27 at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, NC. Since its inaugural start in 1999 at McAlpine Park, home of Wendy's Invitational, the course stayed at McAlpine during the flood in 2000. Following the 2000 meet, the 2001 event took place at Winthrop Farm Meadows in Rock Hill, SC. Last season the festival occurred at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, NC.
This years two-day event kicks off with the Small College Women's 5k (2:15 p.m.) and Small College Men's 8k (2:45 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 26. A pasta dinner is planned for Friday night from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
South Carolina is sending several athletes to the festival to compete in seven of the 30 events that span over the two days. Competition distances range from 2,000 meters all the way to the 8,000 for collegiate men.
The most notable for South Carolina in the seeded girl's invitational race is Spring Valley Viking sophomore Kate Niehaus. Niehaus holds the state meet best record of 17:53, set at Sandhills research center last November at the state meet. This year Kate set a new personal record of 17:45 at the Coaches Classic after a move back to Fort Jackson following a two year layover at Sandhills in Columbia. Niehaus is going against 19 of the nations top runners in the seeded girl's invitational 5,000-meter race on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 10:15 a.m. to combine for a tough 20-person race.
The boy's seeded individual race starts prior to the girls at 9:50 a.m. Jaytice Washington of Midland Valley is entered into the boy's seeded individual 5k with 38 other entries from around the United States.
Teams from South Carolina are also entered in the 2003 Great American Cross-Country Festival. Columbia's Ridge View High School is entered, as a team, in the "Red" Invitational Boys and Section two Junior Varsity Boys events. The "Red" Invitational Boy's race takes place on Saturday at 10:40 a.m. and the Section Two JV Boys race is scheduled to start at 1:35 p.m. on Saturday. Westside High School also has a team entered in the JV Boys Section Two race.
Fort Mill High School is also entered in the festival. The boys are entered in the "White Invitational" race that takes place at 11:05 a.m. on Saturday. The Fort Mill girls will particpate in the "White" Invitational at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday.
Waccamaw High School of Pawley Island has entered a team for the Girl's "Blue" Invitational that starts at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday.
Saturday's events end for South Carolina as Westside's JV squad of girls will take the line at 2:25 p.m. in the JV Girls Section Two competition.
The festivities end on Saturday when the Harrier Ball takes place at Regency Park from 7:00-11:00 p.m. in Cary, NC.
Events going on in South Carolina this weekend are the Citadel Invitational in Charleston, the CSRA Invitational in Aiken, the PeeDee XC Classic in Florence, and the the Sparkle City Classic at Dorman High School in Roebuck.
For a complete schedule of events from the Great American Festival visit: http://greatamerican.nationalscholastic.org.
Dyestat will be live at the 2003 Great American Festival on Friday and Saturday. Visit scrunners.com following Saturday's competition to view results from the festival and the results of other meets in South Carolina.
|
| Kate Niehaus at the 2002 Footlocker Nationals (footlockercc.com). |
The Great American Cross-Country festival is scheduled to take place for the fifth year starting on Friday, Sept. 26 and will finish on September 27 at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, NC. Since its inaugural start in 1999 at McAlpine Park, home of Wendy's Invitational, the course stayed at McAlpine during the flood in 2000. Following the 2000 meet, the 2001 event took place at Winthrop Farm Meadows in Rock Hill, SC. Last season the festival occurred at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, NC.
This years two-day event kicks off with the Small College Women's 5k (2:15 p.m.) and Small College Men's 8k (2:45 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 26. A pasta dinner is planned for Friday night from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
South Carolina is sending several athletes to the festival to compete in seven of the 30 events that span over the two days. Competition distances range from 2,000 meters all the way to the 8,000 for collegiate men.
The most notable for South Carolina in the seeded girl's invitational race is Spring Valley Viking sophomore Kate Niehaus. Niehaus holds the state meet best record of 17:53, set at Sandhills research center last November at the state meet. This year Kate set a new personal record of 17:45 at the Coaches Classic after a move back to Fort Jackson following a two year layover at Sandhills in Columbia. Niehaus is going against 19 of the nations top runners in the seeded girl's invitational 5,000-meter race on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 10:15 a.m. to combine for a tough 20-person race.