HARTSVILLE, S.C.- Slated to begin the year putting the right foot forward, the Coker men's and women's cross country teams will run at the Carolina Challenge- Gamecock Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 2) in Columbia, S.C.
"I feel the team is really ready to get out there and compete," Head Coach Tom Scott said. "We want to go out and push hard, especially running against some Division I talent."
Hosted by the University of South Carolina, the Cobras will travel to Columbia for both the men's and women's teams to compete. On Saturday Coker will compete in the Carolina Challenge- Gamecock Invitational, the first of eight scheduled events for the Cross Country team this season.
Senior runners Lisa Foster and Darroneshia Lott return for their final stint. For Foster, 2015 brought success as she ran in six of seven races with her best finish coming in the FMU Invitational when she finished eighth in 21:35.
Lott had a very progressive 2016 season, finishing in the Top-20 in six races, including four times in the Top-10. Lott broke several personal and Coker College records in the 5k (1st- 18:37) and 6k (13th- 22:06.44). Lott was also named to the All-Region team for her performance, becoming the first in Coker women's cross country history to be given the honor.
Jacob Chebii will also be returning to the trails, this time as a junior leading the way for the men. Chebii, a native of Eldoret, Kenya, provided a great outcome in the 2016-17 season with three Top-20 finishes including a fifth-place finish at the Coastal Carolina Invitational (16:59.29) and sixth at the Bulldog Invitational (27:50.66).
Last season the men placed a season-best, finishing in third at the Bulldog Stampede at Wingate, with Chebii, Brandon Mullins and Razzel Kiplaget all posting Top-20 finishes in under the 30' mark.
The Cobras will get underway when the starting gun pops off at 9:30am Saturday morning.
You can follow the Carolina Challenge at www.cokercobras.com.