Gainesville, Fla., September 14, 2023 – The University of South Florida cross country men's and women's teams head to their second meet of the 2023 season at the Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

The men's 8K race will begin at 7:40 a.m., while the women's 3M race will kick off at 8:20 a.m. Both races will take place at Mark Bostick Golf Course, the same course as the NCAA South Region Championship later this fall. The meet is scheduled to have 16 universities in attendance, USF will face off against FIU, Flagler, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Southern, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Florida, Stetson, Tampa, UT Chattanooga, Vanderbilt, and Embry-Riddle.

The men will race all nine rostered runners. Last meet senior Jonathan Reid (Bradenton) placed first out of all USF men and 13th out of the 68 runners overall with a time of 19:31.31 only seven seconds behind a top-10 finish. Freshman teammate Jackson Dravo was right behind him in 14th with a time of 19:33.15, while junior  Sebastian Edwards (Celebration) was 16th, running the race in 19:36.14.

The women will race 13 of their 19 rostered runners. Last meet they saw three top-10 finishes. True freshman Marlo Hibler (Ft. Lauderdale) checked in third place overall with a time of 15:31.04, while senior Kelly Lynch (Wilmington, Del.) finished just over three seconds later, for sixth overall (15:34.34). Another freshman, Delaney Stephens, crossed the finish line about five seconds after Lynch, for seventh place (15:39.08). Junior Grace Johnson (Naples) finished just outside the top 10, running the course in 15:55.02, for 11th place.

Following the Bulls' competition in Gainesville, Fla. the teams travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to compete in the FSU Invitational scheduled for Friday, Sept. 29.

About USF Cross Country

The USF Cross Country team has earned 2 All-America selections, Christina Benton in 2002 and Gray Mavhera in 1994. 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. The USF men's teams have won seven team conference championships and the women have won five team championships. Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Erik Jenkins took over the program in 2019 and during his tenure the Bulls posted twelve program records and 106 top 10 all-time program marks. USF hosted the 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. 

– #GoBulls –