Lions to Compete for SAC Championship Saturday

MARS HILL, N.C.—Mars Hill's women's cross country will compete for the 2013 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Women's Cross Country Championship, which the team will host this Saturday in Black Mountain.

The Lions placed fourth in the conference championship meet last season. MHU is looking to continue their upward trend in the SAC standings after improving upon their fifth-place finish in 2011. This year's group has been ranked as high as 10th in the Southeast Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The SAC Championship race will be held on the campus of Montreat College. The 5K women's race is slated to begin at 9:00 a.m.

Mars Hill's top performance this season was a second-place finish in the Hyder-McMahill Invitational, which was held on the same course as this weekend's SAC Championship. The Lions placed third in the Spartanburg Eye Opener and fifth in the Winthrop Invitational. The team added a 14th-place finish in the Royals Pre-Region Challenge and a 16th-place finish in the Louisville Classic.

Jessica Viscusi has been Mars Hill's top runner in every event this season. The junior most recently ran the second-fastest 5K time in school-history at the Royals Pre-Region Challenge. Viscusi narrowly missed an all-conference time last season and should contend for an all-conference spot at this year's race.

Faith Trammell, Heidi Hooker, Anje Kidd, Shelby Robinson, Elizabeth Klapmeyer and Savannah Hulbert have all placed among the Lions' top five runners in various races this season. That depth will be important in determining the Lions' finish in Saturday's race. Trammell, Viscusi, Hulbert and Hooker were all Preseason All-SAC selections.

Wingate enters the race in the top spot of the USTFCCCA Southeast Region rankings. Queens (sixth) and Anderson (10^th) are also ranked. Student-athletes from all 12 SAC-member institutions will compete in the race.

There is no admission to the SAC Championship race. Parking is available on-site. Directions are listed below.

Directions

-From Hwy 40, take exit 64 for Black Mountain

-Go north on Hwy. 9

-Turn left at Vance Avenue (next to Shell gas station)

-Follow the yellow "Race" signs