HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Nov. 10, 2022) – Coming off strong showings at the Southern Conference Championships, the ETSU men’s and women’s cross country teams head to Huntsville, Ala. for the 2022 NCAA South Regional, which will be held Friday at the John Hunt Cross Country Course.  

MEET INFO

Date: Friday, Nov. 11

Meet: NCAA South Regional    

Location: John Hunt Cross Country Course (Huntsville, Ala.)

Time: Women’s 6K – 9:30 a.m. ET | Men’s 10K – 10:30 a.m. ET

Live Video: YouTube

Results: XPressTiming

BUCCANEER RUNNERS

• ETSU is sending seven men and women’s runners to the regional championship.
• The ETSU men’s team is coming off a runner-up finish at the Southern Conference Championship two weeks ago in South Carolina
• Evan Guzman (Franklin, Tenn.) finished runner-up at the SoCon Championship, marking his fourth top-five finish this season … Guzman posted a time of 24:05.5 on the 8K course in South Carolina, marking the second-fastest time of his career
• Overall, four Bucs earned all-SoCon honors at the championship, while George Watts was named Coach of the Year
• Guzman landed first team honors, while Gavin Cooper (LaFollette, Tenn.), Myles Stoots (Mobile, Ala.) and Josh Krafsur (Fort Collins, Colo.) received second team accolades
• Last year, the Buccaneer men finished 10th at the NCAA regional
• On the women’s side, the Blue and Gold finished third at the SoCon meet with Genevieve Schwarz (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) pacing the Buccaneers
• Right behind Schwarz were Rebekah Howard (Ashland, Ky.) and Kiera Snyder (Clyde, Mich.) as they ended in 12th and 13th, respectively … Snyder made her season debut at the conference championship.
• The Buccaneer trio all earned second team all-SoCon honors
• At last year’s meet, Lindsey Stallworth (Knoxville, Tenn.) finished eighth at the regional, which ended up qualifying for the NCAA Championship for the second straight year. 

Below is a full listing of ETSU student-athletes running on Friday.

Women
Julia Foote, Rebekah Howard, Camryn Johnson, Chanelle Kruger, Jessica Lord, Genevieve Schwarz, Kiera Snyder; Karli Townsell (alternate)

Men
Xian Campbell, Gavin Cooper, Evan Guzman, Nate Hillis, Josh Krafsur, Myles Stoots, Jordan Thomas; Abdul Jaber (alternate)  

THE FIELD

• There are 28 full men’s teams running at the South Regional on Friday.
• The Buccaneer men enter the weekend ranked No. 9 in the region.
• Among the national rankings, Alabama is ranked No. 16 and Tennessee is No. 20.
• On the women’s side, 34 full teams will be competing on Friday.
• ETSU’s women are ranked No. 15 in the regional.
• In the national rankings, Alabama is ranked No. 7 and Florida State is No. 24.

QUOTES

Below are quotes from head coach George Watts heading into this week’s meet.

On the Women

“I'm hopeful we will have our best regional finish in my time here at ETSU. We've had a very good season to this point and this meet is as important as any of them. This meet is part of the schedule and not just a bonus or extra competition. The ultimate goal is to qualify for the NCAA Championship, and while that may not be within our reach this year, we've had representation the last two years, and we hope to get back there in the near future.   

“The first step to that goal is to have our best race of the season on Friday and see where we need to go as a program from here. Our improvement has been shown across the board as we've made progress in personal best times from one year to the next on the same courses we run each year, but also improved individual finishes such as in the Southern Conference Championship. Our goal is to do the same at the NCAA Regional race on Friday.” 

On the Men

“Our men's team has a chance to improve on recent finishes where we've been 10th, 10th and 9th the last three regional championships. We are currently ranked No. 9 in the South Region and it would be nice to improve that ranking on Friday.   

“In order to do so, we will need all seven guys to contribute to the cause. Generally, our top four run in a pack and our 5-7 will need to do the same. If we can do that and move through the field the entire race, then we have a chance to accomplish our goals. 

“The entire men's team has shown continued progress this Fall in competition and training, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they react to the pressure of an NCAA event.”  

UP NEXT

The 2022 NCAA cross country championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 19 in Stillwater, Okla.

For more information on Buccaneer men’s and women’s cross country, visit ETSUBucs.com.