BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Cross Country is set to compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va., on Friday, Nov. 15.
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The women will open competition with a 6k at 9:30 a.m. CT, while the men's 10k is set to start at 10:30 a.m., followed by the awards ceremony after the conclusion of the races.
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This will mark the first time that WKU has sent runners to the Regional Championships since 2016 and the first time that it has had a team compete since 2015.
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The men are set to have seven student-athletes participate in the 10k while two women will compete in the 6k. Will Perrone, Clint Sherman, Jacob Skillman, Ethan Snyder, Jacob Steppe, Dedrick Troxell and Emerson Wells are set to race on the men's side, while Savannah Heckman and Morgan Kannapel will compete on the women's side.
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Both squads recently wrapped up competition in the Conference USA Championships, which was hosted by WKU at Kereiakes Park on Nov. 2. The men's squad placed seventh amongst the 11-school field, with four runners recording PR's. The women's team earned a 12th place finish against the 13-school pool, while also seeing four runners earn PR's.
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"Cross country is all about momentum," said cross country head coach Tim Sykes. "The men finished out the Conference Championships on a really strong note. They improved their place from last year, which was the goal coming in. So, we were excited about that. We just want to keep the ball rolling and build off that momentum as we go into the Regional Championships.
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"With the women, we have two women competing at the Regional Championships for the first time in a few years. So, they're excited for that opportunity really to just get to showcase their fitness and represent Western Kentucky on the women's side. So, hopefully this leads to a full women's team next year."
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Friday's race will be just the second time this season that the women have competed in a 6k, with Heckman recording the team's top mark with a time of 24:34.7, while the men will be competing in the 10k for the first time this year.
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The women's race will feature 347 competitors from 43 different schools, including ranked teams such as No. 5 NC State, No. 14 Furman and No. 23 Virginia Tech.
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On the men's side, the 10k will comprise of 334 runners and 39 schools, which includes ranked teams such as No. 21 Virginia, No. 22 Virginia Tech and No. 26 Eastern Kentucky.
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