Cross country races to successful season opener

The GCSU cross country teams kicked off the 2009 season at a steady pace while competing in the Berry College Invitational last Saturday.

The women’s team finished in sixth place out of a 20-team field at the competition in the 5-K race. The squad placed third among the NCAA Division II schools competing with 153 points.

Seniors Heather Raines and Ginny Balkcom and sophomore Karissa Ekstrom ran in a close pack, finishing in the top three spots for the Bobcats. Raines finished 21st overall with a time of 20:37.

“We have all been working really hard at practice, and I was so happy we finally got a chance to race,” Raines said. “Ginny, Karissa, and I were all racing each other pretty hardcore at the end. They made me work really hard, and I’m glad they did.”

Returning to racing after an injury during her junior year, Balckcom finished strong with a time of 20:39, placing her 22nd in the competition.

“It is a very good feeling to be able to compete again,” Balkcom said. “I am so happy I am finally able to run and travel with my team again, especially since it is my last year.”

The GCSU men took eighth in the 8-K run among the 20-team field at the competition, placing fourth among the Division II schools with 250 points.

First to cross the finish line for the Bobcats was senior Josh Hollar with a time of 27:43, earning him a 36th place finish.

Racing in a tight pack seemed to be the GCSU game plan, as four more Bobcat runners finished within a seven-second span.

Junior Tim Cary led the pack, finishing with a personal-best time of 28:27, taking sixty-first. Only two seconds and two spots later, the entourage of sophomores, Colin Conroy, Travis Knight, and Rob Manning, took the succeeding three spots.

After a successful start, Balkcom gave insight into the training she hopes will help reach both individual and collaborative team goals.

“We have been training all summer and since the start of the school year, running almost every day since May,” Balkcom said. “We practice every morning at 6:30 as a team. Monday and Wednesdays are usually interval days, Tuesdays and Thursdays are easy runs, Saturday is race day and Sundays are long runs. The least we run in a day is about four or five miles and eight to 10 miles for long runs.”

Up next, the Bobcats travel to the University of Texas at San Antonio to compete in the Ricardo Romo/Six Flags Fiesta Texas Classic today.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 18 2009. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry