Orlando, Fla., August 30, 2024 – The University of South Florida men's and women's cross country teams kicked off their 2024 season on Friday at the UCF XC Invitational in Orlando, Fla.

The men's team took third out of ten teams in their 5K with 111 points, only trailing Florida State (15 points) and Florida (50 points). They had four runners in the top 32 times.

Freshman Aiden Maue was the top finisher for the men in his debut, finishing 23rd overall (15:50.8). Sophomore Sean Perry (16:13.3), senior Sebastian Edwards (16:19.3), and freshman John Keester IV (16:24.2) took 30^th, 31^st and 32^nd respectively.

The women's team took fourth out of seven teams in their 5K with 105 points. They had two runners in the top 17 times.

Junior transfer Giovana Meade was the top finisher for the women in her debut for the Bulls, finishing 16th overall (18:57.9). Right behind her was senior Sydney Granack (18:59.5) in 17^th. Hailey Cohen was the next fastest Bull in 34th (19:32) and Victoria Valdez was one spot behind her (19:46.6).

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 –