GAINESVILLE, Fla., SEPT. 24, 2016 – Sophomore Jessica Taylor placed 10th in her 2016 debut to lead the USF women's cross country team Saturday at the Mountain Dew Gator Invitational.
The St. Johns, Fla., native completed the 5K course in a time of 18:10.04 and helped the women's team to a seventh place finish with 190 points.
Junior John Weaver (Jacksonville) led the men's team with a 25th place finish. He completed the 10K course in a time of 27:01.00. The men's team finished fifth with 133 points.
QUOTABLE
“Jessica ran well after only practicing for about a week,” said head coach Dena Reif. “I feel like some improved a lot today. We have five weeks to determine who our top nine are to go to conference. That could change each week. The men made big strides from two weeks ago when we last raced. We still have some work to do before conference.”
KEY RESULTS
Top Five USF Women
10. Jessica Taylor (18:10.04)
33. Melissa Westmoreland (19:20.40)
42. Celeste Romero (19:29.77)
48. Sarah Leary (19:42.12)
51. Yaranel Abreu (19:46.24)
Top 10 Women's Team Results
1. Florida – 30
2. Jacksonville – 74
3. UCF – 85
4. North Florida – 140
5. Florida A&M – 150
6. Florida Atlantic – 179
7. USF – 180
8. Kennesaw State – 203
9. Florida State – 224
10. Florida Gulf Coast – 246
Top Five USF Men
25. John Weaver (27:01.00)
26. Sam Geiman (27:14.61)
30. Nick Buliga (27:29.67)
39. Josh McDowell (28:04.85)
46. Spencer Tate (28:22.49)
Top 10 Men's Team Results
1. Florida – 22
2. North Florida – 49
3. Florida Gulf Coast – 73
4. Miami – 121
5. USF – 133
6. Florida Atlantic – 172
7. Jacksonville – 211
8. FIU – 216
9. Stetson – 240
10. Florida A&M – 289
NOTABLE
- As Coach Reif planned, sophomore David “Cash” Tampa did not complete the race. He completed just 5K of the 8K course while continuing his recovery from injury.
UP NEXT
USF will have a week off of competition before traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., on Oct. 7 for the Florida State Invitational.
Dena Reif is in her fifth 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. USF hosts the USF Invitational at The Claw on Friday, Oct. 14 at 5 p.m.
