Drop Sisters Set To Run At NCAAs

ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia senior Jessica Drop and her twin sister Samantha Drop traveled with distance coach Patrick Cunniff to Terre Haute., Ind., on Thursday in preparation for Saturday's NCAA Cross Country Championships.

When & Where: The Drop sisters will compete as individuals in the women's 6k at 11:15 a.m. on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course. The men's 10k will follow at 12:15 p.m.

Results: Live results for the meet will be located at: gado.gs/3ua

Weather:There is a 50 percent chance of showers in Terre Haute with temperatures in the upper 30s.

Cunniff's Quotes: "The Drop sisters have been amazing for our program and working with them has been very rewarding for me," said Cunniff, who arrived back at his alma mater to guide the cross country teams in 2012.  "They, along with (Yanely) Gomez, came in the door with an intensity, sincerity and integrity of effort that just jumpstarted a group that was a little down.  There have certainly been challenging moments and that's all part of the journey, which make the moments like last Friday at Regionals even sweeter.  It's also been really fun to watch them grow socially and in confidence interacting with their teammates.  I hope that I have helped them as much as they have helped the team.  We couldn't be prouder of all they've accomplished in running, academics and their awesome community service work.

Cunniff explained that the hard part is over for the Drops.  Now, he is hoping his All-Americans have fun in their final collegiate cross country race together and prove what they can do.

"I hope they can go run totally free of expectation and each put an amazing effort out there.  Every time we concentrate on that, great results follow.  In so many ways, last week was the hard one with the pressure to qualify and maybe help the team qualify.  They really wanted to be here together.  It was awesome to tell Jess with 200 meters to go 'you are both in' and see her huge smile, and then see the replay of their huge hug at the finish line.  Now they can line up and let loose.  They are both really fit and know how to run their races.  I can't wait to see what they do.

Cunniff's challenge to the twins: "let it rip."

"The key is to emphasize recovery after Regionals and then get excited by the opportunity to run against so many incredible runners.  It's a quick turnaround but that's great because you just proved how fit and fast you are.  Now you just have to go out, run hard and let it rip."

What's At Stake: The top 40 finishers in both the men and women's races earn All-America honors.  Jessica Drop was 31^stfor All-America honors in 2017 and was one spot behind Samantha Drop.  That season, the Drops became the only set of twins to ever earn cross country All-America honors in the same season running on the same squad.

Punching The NCAA Ticket – As An Individual: Last year, Jessica Drop was the only Georgia team member to advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. She traveled to Madison, Wisc., and battled for a 77^th-place finish (20:56.4) on the 6k course.

Before the Jessica Drop's showing in 2018, 2010 marked the last time a Bulldog individual had advanced to Nationals. Kristie Kruger finished 28^ththat year after winning the South Regional title.  Krueger also advanced individually in 2009 and was 164^th.

Prior to Krueger's All-America certificate in 2010, the Lady Bulldogs had Natalie Picchetti (27^th) earn All-America honors in 2007 and Kelli Butler (11^th) in 1990.  However, Picchetti and Butler qualified and ran with their team.  The only other women's All-American who was the sole Georgia runner in the race was Jolly Earle in 1989.  She finished 17^thoverall in the women's race.

Last Time Out: For the second time in their career, Jessica and Samantha Drop punched their tickets to Nationals to highlight the NCAA South Regional in Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 15.  The Lady Bulldogs as a team qualified for Nationals in 2017 and finished 17^th.

The Lady Bulldogs completed their 6k course atthe Apalachee Regional Park last week in seventh place with 178 points, one spot ahead of their latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region poll spot.  The Georgia men finished 13^th(364) on the 10k course in the morning's second race.

Individually, Jessica and Samantha Drop each picked up their third All-Region certificates with their fourth and fifth combined top-five finishes at the Regional.  Jessica finished third (20:16.7) for the third consecutive season while Samantha returned from a redshirt year to take fifth (20:23.2) after winning the meet in 2017.

With these finishes, Jessica has qualified for her third NCAA Championships in a row.  Samantha has now earned a spot at Nationals for the second time in her career after also competing at the 2017 NCAAs.

Track On The Horizon: The Bulldogs open their 2019-20 indoor campaign at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener on Dec. 7.

Keeping Up With The Dogs: Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).

University of Georgia Athletics

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Jessica Drop

Samantha Drop

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