Gulf South Conference Preview
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Harding women’s cross country team will shoot for its fifth consecutive Gulf South Conference championship Saturday at Veteran’s Park in Hoover, Ala. The five-kilometer race begins at 10 a.m.
The Lady Bisons have won the conference title every year since 2005 and have captured seven GSC championships since joining the conference in 2000.
Last year, Harding scored 22 points and placed five runners in the top 10. Harding’s Esther Kosgei won the individual title with a time of 18 minutes, 53.81 seconds. A Lady Bison runner has won the event eight times in the last nine races.
Harding enters the race ranked No. 24 nationally and No. 2 in the NCAA II South Region. The Lady Bisons will face stiff competition from sixth other regionally-ranked GSC teams. Arkansas Tech is No. 3 in the region and West Florida is No. 4.
The Lady Bisons are coming off a team victory on Oct. 10 at the Harding Ted Lloyd Stampede. Kosgei was Harding’s top runner, finishing second in 19:28.
Below is Harding’s projected lineup for the race:
| Name |
Class |
5K Best |
'08 GSC Finish |
| Samy Dillon |
JR |
20:08 |
--- |
| Katy Grant |
SR |
18:40 |
7th - 19:30 |
| Gosia Hightower |
SR |
18:49 |
14th - 20:07 |
| Gladys Kimtai |
SO |
18:04 |
3rd - 19:09 |
| Esther Kosgei |
SR |
18:14 |
1st - 18:53 |
| Naomi Landecker |
FR |
18:51 |
--- |
| Laura Lovett |
JR |
20:39 |
--- |
| Mary Samoei |
SO |
18:54 |
9th - 19:44 |
| Rysper Sirma |
JR |
18:05 |
2nd - 19:04 |