SAC Cross Country Championship Set for Saturday

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Student-athletes from all 10 SAC member institutions will descend on Greeneville, Tenn., on Saturday for the 2012 Food Lion SAC Cross Country Championship. The 8K men's race will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the 5K women's event at 10:15.

The starting and finish lines are located on the southeast corner of the Tusculum campus at the upper practice soccer field.

In the men's race, Mars Hill will be looking to continue its reign over the SAC Championship. The Lions have won 15-consecutive men's championships, including last year when they edged Anderson by just two points.

Three of the men's teams competing are ranked in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's NCAA Division II Southeast Region Poll. Mars Hill is ranked third for a second-straight week, while Wingate is sixth and Lenoir-Rhyne is seventh.

Tusculum and Wingate enter the championship leading the conference by each having won team titles at two events this season. TC took home championships at the Warren Wilson Invitational and Maryville Invitational, while Wingate won the Cal Broughton Invitational and the Pre-SAC Invitational.

Mars Hill won the team title at the Bulldog Stampede as well.

On the women's side, Anderson has won the past two SAC Championships, including a narrow three-point margin over Lenoir-Rhyne in 2011.

Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate have each won two team championships in 2012, with the Bears finishing first at the L-R Invitational and Bulldog Invitational, and WU capturing the Carl Broughton invitational and Pre-SAC Invitational.

Brevard, Catawba and Mars Hill have also each won a team championship this season.

In the USTFCCCA women's poll, Wingate is ranked fifth and Lenoir-Rhyne sixth in the most recent Southeast Region rankings.

Complete championship results will be available at theSAC.com shortly after completion of Saturday's races.

- Contributing: Tusculum media relations