CONWAY, S.C. - On Saturday
, the Coastal Carolina cross country teams will travel to Atlanta, Ga., to compete at the Nash Farm Battlefield Park for the 2019 Sun Belt Cross Country Championships, hosted by Georgia State University. Coastal Carolina junior
Nadeel Wildschutt looks be the second runner in Sun Belt history and first since Nicholas Aliwell of Western Kentucky (1994-96) to capture runner of the year honors for a third consecutive year.
Sun Belt Cross Country History
In the three years Coastal Carolina has been part of the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships, the Chanticleers have had a win the runner of the year at least one time.
In 2016,
Annie Bothma earned Sun Belt Runner of the Year status as she finished the Troy's Trojan Oaks 5k course in a time of 17:27.50.
In 2017 and 2018,
Nadeel Wildschutt had earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors as he won consecutive Sun Belt Championships races.
Wildschutt won his first of two runner of the year awards in 2017 as he conquered the Don Kennedy 8k cross country course at Appalachian State with at time of 24:44.33. Just last season the native of Ceres, South Africa became the first Chanticleer to win back-to-back conference cross country titles since Terah Kipichris accomplished the mark in 2002 and 2003. Wildschutt ran South Alabama's Brookley Field 8k course in a time of 24:05.80.
Coastal Last Time Out
The last time out, the men's and women's harriers competed at the ECU Invitational where they had three runners finish inside the top 20 and seven athletes finish with personal-bests times.
Men
Nadeel and his younger brother
Adriaan Wildschutt saw their first action of the season and finished one and two to lead the Chanticleers to a fourth-place finish out of 16 teams on the 8k Lake Christie course.
Nadeel earned his fourth-career Sun Belt Runner of the Week on Monday as he earned with his ninth career victory as paced the course with a personal-best time of 23:21.64.
Adriaan finished in second-place with a time of 23:24.22, also earning a personal-best result.
Women
Lisha van Onselen was the notable Chanticleer finisher at the ECU Invitational 6k as the Amanzimtoti, South Africa native placed 16th overall (22:02.64) to lead the women to a 10th-place finish out of the 15-team field.
Championships Preview
The men will compete on an 8k course for the fifth time this season and had 11 runners set or improve their personal best times for their career and the women will compete on a 5k course for the fourth time this season and had five runners set or improve their personal best times for their career.
The women's race will begin at 10 a.m. ET and the men will start at 11 a.m. ET.
For complete coverage of CCU track and field and cross country programs, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalTFXC (twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.
