Carrollton, GA - It has been a decade since this much buzz has existed about West Georgia Cross-Country. The Wolves, both men and women, enter Saturday's South Regional with their eyes on a spot in the National Championships.
South Regional Website
West Georgia Men
Led by sophomore Dan Moffitt and freshman
Robert Fensterer, the Wolves head into Saturday's championship meet ranked third in the South Region rankings.
Ahead of West Georgia is Cross-Country power Harding in the top spot, followed by second place Florida Southern. The Wolves and Mocs have met on the course this season, as UWG edged FSC at the Mercer Invitational.
"With the GSC in the past, all eyes are now focused on achieving a top-three finish at the Regional," said head coach Frank Butts. "Our goal is to finish there and get a bid to the NCAA Nationals on November 21."
Moffitt lept onto the scene two weeks ago at the Gulf South Conference Championships in Hot Springs, Ark., finishing seventh and earning 2009 First Team All-GSC honors.
"Dan really learned that he can go out with the best and compete in that race," said
Butts. "He is tall and strong and was really able to hold his own among the front runners in the turns at the GSC run."
But the sophomore will not be along, as Fensterer, the GSC Freshman of the Year, will be right beside him, pushing him along at this meet. The Wolves will be able to stay in the pack by adding freshman
Jake Hudson and senior
Shawn Matthews.
Fensterer, Hudson and Matthews are no strangers to the front, as each have been among the UWG leaders throughout the season. Fensterer won the Mountain Top Invitational and the Oglethorpe Invitational, becoming the first runner since 2007 to finish first in a meet.
The men's run begins on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. at the host site in Tampa, FL.
West Georgia Women
The West Georgia women have a shot to finish as high as any other in recent memory, as the Wolves enter this week's South Regional ranked seventh in the South Region.
The Wolves are led by
Megan Jacobs and
Briana Crawford on the year. In each of the meets this season, that pair have been the top two finishers for West Georgia.
The women's squad finished the season in a similar fashion to the men, winning both the Mountain Top and Oglethorpe Invitational. In both races, Jacobs finished third, with Crawford just behind in the top-10.
At the GSC Championships, Jacobs led the way for the Wolves to finish fourth with a 12th place finish. That spot gave her a nod as part of the 2009 All-GSC Second Team. Crawford, a freshman, also earned Second Team honors, finishing 18th at the GSC run.
The Wolves' success will depend on where the final three runners finish at the South Regional course. Sophomore
Lindsey Ebert was the next closest, finishing 26th at the GSC Championships.
The women's run begins one hour after the men's race at 9 a.m. in Tampa.