ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.-The Flagler cross country teams will travel to Beech Island, South Carolina for the Peach Belt Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Redcliffe Plantation.
"We've been training all year with three dates in mind, and the PBC Championships is the first among them." head coach of men's and women's cross country/ director of cross country and track
Brian Beil said. "Both of our teams are well prepared, confident and excited to test themselves against a quality field of runners."
The Flagler women, the defending conference champions since 2018, are looking to claim their fifth straight PBC crown.
Enola Savel,
Marissa Kempf and all conference runners
Megan Churchill and
Monika Kubai are returners that helped lead the Saints pack to their first-place finish with 31 team points in 2021.
These four Flagler women have earned spots in the top-10 fastest 5k times in the conference this season.
Strong strides are expected from sophomores
Sam Gayton,
Maddi Hood and newcomer,
Monique Whiteman.
Whiteman holds the second best 5K time in the conference this season at 18:14.6.
"We can't know exactly how it will play out, but we have two strong teams as well as a number of individuals in contention for the overall titles," Beil said. "It should make for an exciting morning of racing."
On the men's side, the team is eager to take home their first PBC title since 2016. In 2021, the men fell short of the title in second place with 53 team points.
Francisco Ramirez and all-conference runners
Asad Bashir and
Joel Nesi are favored to lead the Saints pack.
Bashir holds the fourth best 8K time in the conference at 24:59.9, leading the Saints in performance this season.
Nesi and Ramirez are the other two Saints with top-10 times in PBC this season at sixth and seventh.
Strong performances from
Will Stone and
Brandon Knieja are also expected.
The field will include Augusta University, Clayton State University, Columbus State University, Georgia College and State University, Georgia Southwestern University, Lander University, North Georgia College and State University (women only), USC Aiken and Young Harris College.
The men's 8K race is scheduled for a 9 a.m. start, while the women's 5K race will follow at 10:15 a.m.
Racing for the women:
Racing for the men:
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