Women's Cross Country | September 06, 2023

AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's cross country team is set for the Blue Bear Invitational on Friday, which is hosted by Livingstone.

USC Aiken, Coker, Fayetteville State, Johnson & Wales, Johnson C. Smith, St. Augustine's, Virginia Union and Winston-Salem State will be competing at the meet.  

"We are excited to run at the Blue Bear Invitational, as there will be some talented international runners running in this meet," head coach Marshall Leonard stated. "After running great at Elon, the team is looking to build on those performances. We need to work on closing the gap between our 1^st and 5^th runner, but I am very happy with the way our top 5 raced in the opener. It is going to be a good opportunity for us to continue to make progress in our performances. I am expecting great performances and for the women to bring home some hardware."

At the season-opening Elon Friday Night Lights Meet, Leonard's team was paced by newcomer Tess Studley's mark of 15:35.5, which was good for 47^th place in the 4k race. Studley garnered PBC Runner of the Week accolades for her effort. Fellow newcomer Taylor Joop was 58^th after crossing in 16:12.3 while rookie Olivia Moriates placed 69^th in 17:28.9. 

This marks the first time in recent history the Pacers will compete at the Blue Bear Invitational.