SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Anderson cross country senior Lucy Schmitt (Greenville, S.C.) was the lone Trojan representative in the women's race of the NCAA DII National Championships in Sacramento. As one of the two best individual finishers at the NCAA Southeast Regional two weeks ago, Schmitt earned herself a spot in the national contest to finish her collegiate racing career.
Held at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, the race took place on Saturday morning following a day and a half of steady, consistent rain. On a course that was more mud puddles than grass, the women toed the line at 11:15 AM local time, about thirty minutes succeeding the men's race. Schmitt repped the Black and Gold among 34 teams and over 250 athletes.
"Lucy ran exceptionally well in horrible conditions to cap off her cross country career," said Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Kevin Eagle. "She moved up well throughout the entire race to place in the top half of the national championship."
Unlike Anderson's men's team in the preceding race, Schmitt opened the race at a conservative pace, sitting 187th in the field after one kilometer. She made up ground, however, moving up the leaderboard at each distance-marker for the rest of the race to conclude the 6K in 120th place, recording a time of 22:20.
"That is a huge accomplishment for someone who just started running three years ago," added Eagle. "It has truly been a blast watching her gain confidence in herself throughout these three years."
Leading up to nationals, Schmitt competed in five races this season, besting her personal records in each one. She opened the campaign with an 18:37 5K in Huntsville, breaking her standing record from last season by 20 seconds. The following week, Schmitt posted a 9th-place 22:22 6K race to beat her previous 6K record by over 45 seconds. From there, Schmitt continued to build her resume, turning in an 18:26 5K in Louisville, a 21:54 6K at the South Atlantic Conference Championships, and a 21:41 6K at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships.
She rounds out the season with three Top-10 finishes, All-South Atlantic Conference honors, All-Region honors and an individual bid to the national championships.
Saturday's race marks the end of Schmitt's career wearing the Black and Gold, as she graduates from Anderson in December with a degree in Criminal Justice.
