USF Athletics

Tampa, Samhouri Lead the Bulls at FSU Invitational

October 06, 2017

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., OCT. 6, 2017 – In the final test before its lone home meet, the USF cross country team competed in the FSU Invitational on Friday morning.

Male Results
Female Results

Junior Cash Tampa (St. Johns, Fla.) finished first among the USF men (26^th overall) with a personal-best 8k time of 25:59.1. It was the first time this year that Tampa was the top male runner for the Bulls. Senior John Weaver (Jacksonville, Fla.) finished a close second (28^th overall) in 26:05.4, which also set a new personal record.

Freshman Rania Samhouri (Tampa) was the top USF female finisher, for the fourth consecutive meet, with a time of 19:05.3 (28^th overall). Sophomore Claire Farnsworth (Lecanto, Fla.) utilized a personal-best 19:41.6 to earn second place amongst the Bulls (47^th overall).

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Dena Reif on the underclassmen male runners:
"I was proud of the freshman guys as many stepped up and ran PRs…the future looks so good."

Coach Reif on Kate Ott's progression:
"She moved into the top five for the first time this year so that was awesome to see her improve."

Coach Reif on the upcoming home meet:
"Now it's time to shine at USF next week."

NOTABLE:

• The meet was held at Apalachee Regional Park with the men's 8k starting at 7:40 a.m. and the women's 5k at 8:20 a.m.
• Freshmen Evan Babatz (Ft. Myers, Fla.) and Austin Camps (Melbourne, Fla.) finished third and fourth for the Bulls respectively. Babatz came in at 26:43.1 for 38^th place and Camps crossed the line at 26:45.2 for 49^th place.
• Freshman Matt Neeley (St. Johns, Fla.) rounded out the men's top five in 27:19.6.
• Senior Sarah Hartman (Tampa) finished third for the USF women (57^th overall) in 19:54.8 and junior Yaranel Abreu (St. Augustine, Fla.) placed fourth (64^th overall) in 20:08.8.
• Freshman Kate Ott (Spring Mills, Pa.) cracked the top five for the women in 20:40.6.

UP NEXT:
The Bulls host the USF Invitational at The Claw on Friday, Oct. 13. The women's 5k will start at 5 p.m. and the men's 8k will follow at 5:45 p.m.

To stay up-to-date on the latest USF cross country news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Instagram).

About USF Cross Country
Dena Reif is in her sixth season as the head coach of USF cross country. The history of USF's women's program consists of five conference and two region championships as well as five NCAA qualifying teams. The USF men's program has produced seven conference championships and three NCAA qualifying teams.