Charlotte Cross Country Team Rocks The Rankings At #9
The Charlotte 49ers cross country team saw both the men’s and women’s teams rise in the USTFCCCA Cross Country Regional Rankings for Week One, released on Monday afternoon (Sept. 15), with the men moving up two spots and the women breaking into the Top 15 for the first time this season.
Starting the season at No. 13 in the Southeast Region, Charlotte’s men jumped two spots to No. 11 after earning back-to-back wins to open the year at the Charlotte Opener (Aug. 29) and Queen City Invitational (Sept. 12). The Niners have been able to knock off North Carolina, which sits No. 4 in the Southeast Region, in both meets to date on the way to wins.
Charlotte’s women make their debut in the Regional Rankings this season at No. 9, rocketing up the board after an unranked start; the Niners are the only team in the Southeast Region to break into the field after being unranked in the preseason and one of thirteen overall to achieve the feat this week. They are the highest ranking team this week to have started the season outside of the polls.
The women have made a strong impression to start the season after consecutive second-place finishes at the Charlotte Opener and Queen City Invite, having been edged out by a point against North Carolina (No. 3 in the region) and 13 points against No. 4 Wake Forest in the opening two meets, respectively.
One of four schools in the American to have both teams regionally ranked, the Niners are next in action at the Joe Piane Classic in South Bend, Ind. on Oct. 3.
Charlotte will be looking to build on a strong outing at the Queen City Invite for both squads, where 11 men represented the Green and White in the top-20, led by Maddon Muhammad and Stephen Fernetti taking the top two spots. Muhammad joined Lucy Stecher as the second Niner to secure an individual win this season after Stecher took the women’s crown at the Charlotte Opener.
Eight Charlotte women earned top-20 spots on Friday, led by Ella White and Cali Coffin in third and fourth, respectively. Overall, 30 total Niners set new personal best times at the Queen City Invite in a big-time showing.