USC Beaufort will send 4 to NAIA national cross country meet

The USC Beaufort cross country teams came home from the Sun Conference championships on Saturday with four tickets to the West Coast.

The Sand Sharks qualified four individuals for the NAIA national championships, which will be held Nov. 21 in Vancouver, Wash. That number is double the amount of qualifiers USCB had last season.

As a team, the USCB men placed third and the women were fourth on a long, hilly course in Lake Wales, Fla., on a day that Sand Sharks coach Larry Kimball described as "sneaky hot."

Three of the USCB men qualified for the national meet -- Stephen Wilson, Frank Tinsley and Nic Tones. Tones, who was leading the race early before settling for 10th, was one of USCB's two national qualifiers last season. Wilson earned all-conference honors by placing seventh in a time of 28 minutes, 28 seconds. Tinsley was ninth in a time of 28:48, four seconds ahead of Tones.

John Critchlow, who qualified for nationals last season, finished 21st and Tommy Reeves was 38th in his first race in a month and a half after battling illnesses.

The Sand Sharks' other national qualifier came from the women's squad, as Katie Mock placed 15th overall to earn the Sun Conference's last individual NAIA qualifying spot.

"It's a real feather in our cap to send four to nationals after having sent two last year," Kimball said.

Selena Hutson just missed on the trip to Vancouver, taking 16th. Amy Williams, Jessica Brown and Caitlin Brady helped out with the fourth-place team finish.

"We were hurting a little bit on the depth situation, but everyone ran as hard as they could, and I'm proud of both the men and women," Kimball said.

Embry-Riddle took the team title in the men's and women's divisions, with Savannah College of Art and Design second in both.