Three University of South Carolina Beaufort runners will brave freezing temperatures and rolling hills when they compete in the NAIA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.

USCB's Joyce Miller, Melissa Carder and Anthony Vecchio will represent the Sand Sharks in the national meet after qualifying by virtue of their finishes in the Sun Conference Championships on Nov. 9 in Hardeeville. 

The 5K women's race and 8K men's race will be contested on the University of Kansas cross country teams' home course at Rim Rock Farm. The challenging course includes two covered bridges as well as hills, turns and other obstacles. 

A total of 321 runners from 96 schools will compete in the men's race beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET, with the women's race — featuring 327 runners from 95 schools — following at 11:45 a.m. ET.

Vecchio, a junior from Bluffton, S.C., qualified for the national championships for the second consecutive year by finishing fifth at the Sun Conference Championships with a time of 25:28 — 20 seconds off his school-record pace. Vecchio finished 204th last year in Vancouver, Wash., with his time of 27:03 representing the best by a USCB runner at nationals. 

Carder, a junior from New Windsor, N.Y., punched her second ticket to nationals with a time of 19:06 at the conference meet. She finished 213th a year ago with a time of 20:23.  

Miller, a senior from County Cork, Ireland, has enjoyed a tremendous season in her first year with the Sand Sharks. She ran a school-record time of 18:24 at the conference meet to earn her first trip to nationals. 

The three national qualifiers are the most for USCB since sending four runners in 2009.