Sophomore Amanda Goetschius earned All-Region honors following her eighth place performance at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. |
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Goetschius To Take On Top Runners At NCAA Nationals
Nov. 20, 2008
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Charlotte, N.C. - Amanda Goetschius will have one more opportunity to etch her name into the Charlotte record books when she competes at the NCAA Cross Country National Championship meet at Indiana State University.
Already earning her spot in the Niner annals by being the Atlantic 10 Champion, Goetschius will look to be Charlotte's first Cross Country All-American since 1999 when Kelly Travis and Kenneth Svendsen accomplished the task. To earn All-American honors in Cross Country, a runner must place in the top 40 at the National meet.
With her victory on November 1, Goetschius became only the second Charlotte runner to claim the individual title at the conference meet, with former Niner great Molly Kerin being the first conference champion in Charlotte Cross Country history with her win at the 1995 Conference USA championships.
Goetschius has also re-written the list of top times with her breakout sophomore campaign.
Her time of 17:37 at the A-10 Championships puts her in ninth place all-time in the 5K race while her 21:04 at last weekend's regional event is the fourth-fastest time at the 6K distance behind a pair of sub 21 minute times by recent Charlotte grad Cassie Ficken and Goetschius' own time of 21:00 at the Paul Short Run earlier this season.
Goetschius' eighth place finish at Wake Forest was the highest finish for a Charlotte runner at the Southeast Regional Championships since Kelly Travis' sixth place finish in 1999.
The Garden State native also boasts the tenth-fastest time in school history after edging out recent Charlotte grad, Tsehaye Dagnachew by two-tenths of a second by running a 21:32.0 at the NCAA Pre-Nationals in October.
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In a highly unusual finish at the Southeast Regional Championships, the top four finishers weren't on the top two qualifying teams, thus earning them automatic qualifying spots and leaving Goetschius to pick up an at-large spot. In the other nine regions in the nation Goetschius' finish would have earned her an automatic bid to Terre Haute.
"This type of result is why the NCAA allows for two national at large individual qualifications to ensure that in an unusual regional scenario a deserving runner who finishes highly will still make it to the championship," said Head Track and Field Coach Bob Olesen, on the unusual situation that unfolded at Wake Forest.
Monday's race won't be the first time that Goetschius has raced on the Indiana State course as she also ran at NCAA Pre-Nationals on October 18 and her familiarity with the course should provide a huge advantage come race day.
"It'll help her confidence, she knows where she's going and that's one piece of the puzzle that she doesn't have to worry about. She can just go race and not have to worry about anything. Having run on the course a month ago, it should be pretty fresh in her mind," said Head Coach Brad Herbster about his top female runner.
Goetschius has been the top Charlotte runner all season long after being victorious at the Bojangles Invitational on September 13th on the Charlotte Campus Course and will look to cap off a tremendous 2008 season with a solid performance at the National meet.
"To go to NCAA's is great, but to go as a sophomore is outstanding and hopefully she'll take advantage of the opportunity and I think she will take advantage and have a good performance at NCAA's," said Herbster.
Action from Terre Haute, In. will begin on Monday at 12:05 p.m. CBS College Sports will be airing the Championship meet live at the Video Link at the top of the page.
