CONWAY - After a summer of grinding miles under the Carolina sun, Coastal Carolina cross country returns to the course with one goal in mind—build on last year's strides and chase something bigger this fall.
"It's an exciting time, they're ready to move forward, they're hungry," said Coastal's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Sandy Fowler, entering her ninth season with the Chants.
Last season, Coastal's women placed fourth and the men placed eighth overall in the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships. With a mix of returning athletes as well as fresh faces, the Chants are looking to improve on last season's results.
On the men's side, Coastal is led by junior Adam Groves, who qualified for the NCAA Regionals and finished 15th overall in the Sun Belt Championship 8k. The group features eight athletes with five being freshmen.
"He's progressed a ton," said Michael Bianchina, Coastal's Assistant Cross Country and Track & Field coach. "He's transformed himself to somebody who I think is one of the best runners in our conference."
Groves will be taking the momentum of his outdoor track & field season, where he claimed the bronze medal in the 5000 meters at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championship, and looking to build on that in the cross country season.
For the women, redshirt junior Addison Laughlin leads the squad after also qualifying for the NCAA Regional last season and finishing 14th overall in the Sun Belt Cross Country Championship 5k.
"She's grown up a lot," Bianchina said. "She's learned to relax a little bit and take her time."
The women's roster is made up of 11 athletes, with six returners.
"It's really important that they take all the new freshmen under their protection because it's such a different sport from high school," Bianchina said when talking about the experienced runners. "Super important in terms of leadership and showing them how we do things and the standard that we've set in terms of how we prepare."
As far as the preparation, the Chants have wasted no time getting on the course and getting in shape for the season.
"We practice in the morning every day," Bianchina said. "We have a few athletes that are running 90 miles a week."
The Chants will participate in three events this season leading up to the Sun Belt Championships at the end of October.
"For us, it gives us a chance to go through the process of going to a meet and getting amped up," Bianchina said. "It gives us an opportunity to prepare better for the last month."
Coastal's first event is set for August 29th in Elon, N.C. at the Elon Opener.
For complete coverage of CCU men's and women's track & field and cross country, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalTFXC (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @coastaltxfc (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
