Pair of Trojans Heads to NCAA South Regional

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Julia Ostendorf and Mikayla Hodges will both head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday to represent Troy University at the 2013 NCAA South Region Championship. The women's race is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m., at Harry Pritchett Running Park.

"We will be taking a pair of ladies to the NCAA Regional Championships to try and see how well they can place themselves among some of the nation's best cross country runners," said cross country coach Jeff Jenkins. "A lot of the pressure is off after the Sun Belt Championships, so hopefully that will kill some of the pre-race jitters that can hurt performances. I'm excited to take yet another step forward with the program.

The women will be competing on a 6k course, something they've done only once this season. In that race, the Azalea City Classic, Ostendorf took ninth overall with a time of 22:05, while Hodges placed 13th at 22:17.

"We look forward to these two young ladies continuing to move forward in their careers while representing Troy at the NCAA Regional," said director of track and field and cross country Jill Lancaster. "Both Julia and Mikayla have led the team all season and I know coach Jenkins has them prepared for this competition. We are excited to see them race this longer distance again."

These women were Troy's top competitors all season long, finishing in first and second in every race, respectively. At the Sun Belt Conference Championships, Ostendorf finished in 22nd at 19:07.3, while Hodges placed 33rd at 19:47.7.

More than 45 teams will have athletes competing in the race, with the chance to advance to the NCAA Championships on the line.

Fans can keep up with all the action by following Troy track and field/cross country on Twitter at @TroyTrojanXC_TF .

For more information on all of Troy Athletics, fans can find the Trojans on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyAthletics, or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.

Troy University Athletics

Pair of Trojans Heads to NCAA South Regional

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