MOBILE, Ala. – After winning three races and closing out the regular season with a top 5 performance to close the regular season, the University of South Alabama men's and women's cross country teams enter postseason looking for strong performances as they compete at the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championships hosted by Georgia State at Nash Farm Battlefield Park Saturday morning.

MEET INFORMATION
Date: 11/2
Meet (Host Institution): 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championships
Place: Nash Farm Battlefield Park (Hampton, Ga.)
Race Information: Women's 5k – 9 a.m. (CT) | Men's 8k – 10 a.m. (CT)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Tournament Central: Link
Live Stats: Link
Video: Link

THE FIELD
WOMEN'S – 5K – 12 TEAMS
Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Little Rock, Louisiana, SOUTH ALABAMA, Texas State, Troy, ULM, UTA    

MEN'S – 8K – 10 TEAMS
Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Little Rock, Louisiana, SOUTH ALABAMA, Texas State, Troy, ULM, UTA

AT THE LINE FOR THE JAGUARS
WOMEN'S – 6K
– Andonet Cheruiyot (Jr., Eldoret Kenya)
– Alyse Henry (Sr., Rock Spring, Wyo.)
– Silje Lindstad (So., Bergen, Hordaland, Norway)
– Adele Magaud (Fr., Martigues, France)
– Carolien Millenaar (So., Sørvad, Denmark)
– Susanna Pudner (Jr., Auburn, Ala.)
– Abbey Weitenbeck (Huntsville, Ala.)

MEN'S – 8K
– Lance Cunigan (Fr., Kellytown, Ala.)
– Onesmus, Kemboi (Jr., Eldoret Kenya)
– Warno Potgeiter (Jr., Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa)
– Nate Pudner (Jr. Auburn, Ala.)
– Thomas Sand (So., Holstebro, Denmark)
– Charlie Slaughter (Fr., Birmingham, Ala.)
– Caleb Smith (Fr., Semmes, Ala.)

NOTES
- Both the South men and women – both ranked No. 12 in the South Region – have recorded three wins this season and finished inside the top five in the other.
- Carolien Milenaar and Andonet Cheruiyot have crossed the line first for the Jags with Milenaar twice winning this fall. Cheruiyot has finished either second or third in all four of her meets this fall. Milenaar has twice been named the league's runner of the week, while Cheruiyot received the honor on Oct. 23.
- Onesmus Kemboi has captured two titles and a pair of fourth-place finishes this season, while Warno Potgeiter has finished second in three meets and was named the ROTW on Sept. 3.
- The South men will be in search of their ninth conference team title, while the women will be seeking their fifth. The Jaguar men last accomplished that feat back during the 2014 season, while the South women won the title in 2015.
- Last season, Cheruiyot (first-team) and Potgieter (second-team) earned all-conference honors finishing inside the top 10 in their respective races.
- There have been 10 individual SBC tiles won by eight different male Jaguar runners in program history with the last being Christoph Graph in 2014. Zac Edwards (2009), Micah Tirop (2008 and '07), Vincent Rono (2006 and '05), Tonny Okello (2004), David Kamani (1999) and Bobby Abruscato (1981).
- Three women have won an individual title – Laura Labuschaigne (2017), Laura Martin (1997) and DeAnne Dahmar (1987).

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Parker Cowles
- On the fields for both teams at the conference meet: "Getting ready for the conference meet, I have tried to stress to both teams that we don't need to do anything different or change our approach just because we are in the postseason.  On the women's side, I feel like the conference has gotten a lot tougher this year; Appalachian State has a lot of depth and a great pack time, and some of the teams that we have not raced like UT Arlington and Arkansas State look strong.  On the men's side there is a lot of parody this year; the Wildschutt twins at Coastal Carolina are the individual favorites, but in the team race there seems to be five teams that have front runners and strong pack times.  Team scores will be tight and any team with strong performances across their top 5 has a real shot."
- On the expectations of both teams after strong falls: "Throughout the fall we have been consistent and the depth of both teams has been very good, so my hope is that we execute just like we have in our previous couple of races.  We do not need to reach for a spectacular performance or try to overdo it, we just need to be the team we have been all year.  Our last couple of workouts have been very good, so I believe we are heading into the meet confident and ready to go.  The only thing I am looking to improve upon are the same things I have stressed all year.  I want to see the pack time get tighter for both teams and just continue to stress smart execution and patience while maintaining an aggressive attitude."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub.

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