Orlando, Fla., August 29, 2024 – The University of South Florida men's and women's cross country teams kick off their 2024 season on Friday, August 30, at the UCF XC Invitational in Orlando, Fla., at the University of Central Florida.
The women's 5K race will kick off at 6:15 p.m., while the men's 5K race will begin at 6:45 p.m.
"I am excited to see our team start the regular season in Orlando," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Erik Jenkins said. "We have a very young group who are eager to represent themselves and USF. "
The women will race nine runners. The team has six returning runners scheduled to race including seniors Victoria Valdez and Sydney Granack; juniors Hailey Cohen, Cora Kolodge, and Chloe Fernander; sophomores Callie Wakefield, Katelyn Thompson, and Catalina Edwards. The team has one new transfer scheduled to make their debut in junionr Giovana Meade.
The men will race seven runners. The team has two men returning from last year to run, sophomore Sean Perry and senior Sebastian Edwards. The men will have five Bulls debuting, junior transfer Jayven Garcia, as well as freshmen John Keester IV, Aiden Maue, and Nicholas Zamora.
Following the Bulls' opener in Orlando, they travel to Huntsville, Ala., to compete in the Southern Showcase scheduled for Friday, Sept. 13.
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 –
