University of South Florida
American Athletic Conference Championships
South Florida Cross County Has Run at Postseason
October 27, 2023 | Cross Country
Both Teams travel to North Carolinaโs Lake Kristi to kick off postseason
Grimesland, N.C., October 28, 2023ย โย The University of South Florida cross country men and women's teams head to Overton's Lake Kristi in Grimesland, N.C. to start off the 2023 American Athletic Conference Championships.
Thereย are 14 participatingย collegiate AAC teams competing on Saturday in both the women's 6K event, which begins at 10:00 a.m., and the men's 8K race, which starts at 9:15 a.m..
The race will be live-streamed onย ESPN+. The top 15 finishers will be named all-conference, and the top freshman (true or redshirt) finisher will be named Freshman of the Year. The Championship home page can be found here, and results can be found here.
"We are looking forward to competing in the AAC Championship this weekend," Director of Track & Field and Cross Countryย Erik Jenkinsย said. "Both teams have worked hard to position themselves for success."
The men will race seven of their nine rostered runners. The team looks to have their first all-conference runner since 2015 when Michael Babinec finished 13th overall with a time of 24:21.67 on the day. Overall, the team looks to break into the top eight finishers for the first time since their most recent eighth-place finish in 2015. When competing in 8K's this season, USF's two best times have come from, sophomoreย Tyler Wadsworthย (Port Charlotte), who ran a time of 25:16.8, and freshmanย Jackson Dravoย (Creekside), who was 2.7 seconds behind him with a time of 25:19.5 back when the Bulls traveled to Gainesville, Fla. on Sept. 15th.
The women will race eight of their 20 rostered runners. The team looks to have their first all-conference runner since 2016 when Jessica Taylor finished 10th overall with a time of 21:11.2 on the day. Overall, the team looks to break into the top five finishers for the first time since their most recent fifth-place finish in 2015. When competing in 6K's this season, USF's two best times have come from freshmanย Delaney Stephensย (Port Orange) with a time of 23:00.7, and seniorย Kelly Lynchย (Wilmington, Del.) with a time of 23:13.2, both in the most recent race in Lakeland, Fla..
Following the AAC Championships on Saturday, the Bulls who qualify will head to Gainesville, Fla., for the NCAA South Regional competitions scheduled for Nov. 10.
About USF Cross Country
The USFย Cross Countryย team has earnedย 2ย All-America selections,ย Christina Benton in 2002 and Grayย Mavheraย in 1994.ย The Bulls have advanced to the NCAA Cross Country Championships seven times in program history, three times for the men and four times for the women.ย The USF men's team have won seven team conference championships and the women have won five team championships. Director of Track & Field and Cross Countryย Erik Jenkinsย took over the program inย 2019 andย during his tenure,ย the Bulls postedย twelveย program records andย 106ย top 10ย all-time program marks. USF hosted theย 2018 NCAA Track and Field East Preliminary and the 2021 AAC Outdoor Championship at the USF Track and Field Stadium, as well as the 2022 AAC Country Cross Country Championship at Holloway Park.ย
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