EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND -- After a two-point loss on the men’s side in 2014, Team USA is primed and ready to take on Team Europe and Team Great Britain at the 2015 Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country meet on Saturday, January 10. The event airs live beginning at 8 a.m. ET on USATF.tv.
Chris Derrick was the top individual finisher in last year’s senior men’s 8k but Team USA fell just short to Team Europe, 53-55. Derrick is prepped for another strong finish Saturday with a stacked Team USA behind him. Bobby Curtis and Bobby Mack are also looking for top finishes in Edinburgh, with Curtis turning in the second-fastest 10k by an American in 2014 (27:46.30) and Mack returning to Scotland as the 2013 Bupa Great Edinburgh champion. Another Team USA standout is 2014 USATF Marathon Champion Tyler Pennel, who looks to build off a phenomenal 2014 season.
Team USA women hope to improve upon their third place team finish in 2014, led by USATF Club Cross Country Championship runner-up Tara Erdmann and NCAA medalist Emma Bates. Also competing for Team USA are the other top-five finishers from the USATF Club Cross Country Championships, Angela Bizzarri, Alisha Williams and Brianne Nelson.
Six high school runners and six college freshmen round out Team USA’s junior men and women rosters, including North Carolina high school standout Ryen Frazier, Foot Locker champion Anna Rohrer, Wisconsin’s Joe Hardy, Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker runner-up Olin Hacker, and NC State’s Mary Grace Doggett.
Full rosters for Team USA can be found here and a complete recap of Saturday’s event will be on USATF.org on Saturday. The hashtag for the event to join the conversation for social media is #GEXC2015.