Nov. 7, 2012
TALLAHASSEE - Members of the Auburn cross country team will compete in 2012 NCAA South Region Cross Country meet on Friday at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. with Florida State University serving as the host school. The races are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. (Women's 6k) and 8:15 a.m. (Men's 10k) central time.
"It's been a solid year on the men's side and we are looking forward to a good meet in Tallahassee," Auburn cross country coach Mark Carroll said. "We've had some injuries to deal with, including this week, but I feel good about the group making the trip."
Leading the side in Tallahassee will be sophomore Niklas Buhner. He was Auburn's top finisher at the SEC Championships on October 26 and has posted three top-five finishes this season. Also making the trip are juniors Jason Miller and Samuel Mueller along with sophomores Griffin Jaworski, Francis Hernandez and Andrew Scott.
The South Region meet is the first 10k meet of the season for the Auburn men.
Auburn's lone representative in the women's race is sophomore Erin Fondren. The Birmingham native set a new personal best (22:14.05) in the 6k at the SEC Championships two weeks ago in Nashville.
"Erin has had a good season and it's a good reward for her to get to compete this weekend and have a shot at nationals," Carroll said. "Unfortunately, we've dealt with injuries with the women's team too and she will be the only one making the trip."
The top two teams from each of the nine geographic regions advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 17. Additionally, 13 at-large bids are awarded and four individuals from each region not on one of the qualifying teams also earn berths to the championship meet.
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