The Florida Gators Cross Country team released its 2023 schedule on Monday afternoon, as announced by the Cross Country and Track and Field program. The Gators are set to participate in four regular season meets followed by the typical postseason schedule including SEC Championships, NCAA South Regionals, and NCAA Championships.
2022 SEASON IN REVIEW
Members of the Cross Country program participated in six contests last season, five of which were team competitions. Throughout the season, the women’s team never recorded a finish lower than seventh and earned a first, second, and third-place finish in the process. Results from last season can be found below.
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Florida Track and Field Cross Country Schedule – 2023
9/1 UNF Cross Country Invitational Host: University of North Florida
As the calendar flips to September, the Cross Country program will begin its season with an 80-mile trip to the University of North Florida to compete in the UNF Cross Country Invitational.
The Gators most recently participated in the UNF Invitational in 2019, where the women placed first, and the men placed second in the dual meet format.
9/15 Mountain Dew Invitational Host: University of Florida
The Gators play host to their second meet of the year as they will welcome teams back to the Mountain Dew Invitational after taking a year hiatus in 2022.
Back in 2021, both the men’s and women’s teams placed first at the meet, earning 25 and 24 points, respectively. The meet will be held at Mark Bostick Golf Course on the University of Florida campus.
9/29 FSU Invitational Host: Florida State University
Two weeks later, Florida will travel to Tallahassee, where they are set to face both ACC and SEC competition at the Florida State University Invitational. The Gators last ran at the FSU Invitational in 2020, where the men placed fourth, and the women placed seventh among programs such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Miami, Alabama, and others.
10/13 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Host: University of Wisconsin
The final tune-up before postseason play will occur in Madison, Wisconsin, where the Gators will participate in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational. To find the last time the Gators competed in Madison, one would have to go back to 2014 when they competed in the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational.
10/27 SEC Championships Host: University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina plays host to the SEC Championships in 2023. In 2022 conference competition, the Gators finished 5th (Women) and 10th (Men). The women’s team has recorded six SEC Championships, the most recent being in 2012, while the men’s team has tallied three, most recently in 1987.
11/10 NCAA South Regional Host: University of Florida
The Florida Gators’ postseason continues with the NCAA South Regional, which will be the first time since 2007 that the University of Florida has hosted an NCAA Regional meet.
In the 2022 NCAA South Regional competition, the women earned a seventh-place finish, while the men placed 19th. Just like the Mountain Dew Invitational, this contest will be held at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
11/18 NCAA Championships Host: University of Virginia
The season concludes with the NCAA Cross Country Championships hosted by the University of Virginia. For the past two seasons, Parker Valby has represented the Gators on the national stage, finishing 27th in 2021 and 2nd in 2022.
2023 Cross Country Schedule:
| Date | Meet | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 9/1 | UNF Cross Country Invitational | Jacksonville, Florida |
| 9/15 | Mountain Dew Invitational | Gainesville, Florida |
| 9/29 | FSU Invitational | Tallahassee, Florida |
| 10/13 | Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational | Madison, Wisconsin |
| 10/27 | SEC Championships | Columbia, South Carolina |
| 11/10 | NCAA South Regional | Gainesville, Florida |
| 11/18 | NCAA Championships | Charlottesville, Virginia |
HEAR FROM HOLLOWAY “I am very excited to watch the Cross Country teams in their first year under the guidance of Associate Head Cross Country Coach Will Palmer.
“I feel that the schedule he has put together will give us a great chance to have a successful season.”
POINTS FROM PALMER “We can’t wait to get started with this team and this season. We did our very best to put together a schedule that allows our teams to showcase their abilities during the regular season while leaving room for improvement at the SEC and NCAA Championships.
“The major highlight is hosting the NCAA South Region Championships at ‘Bostick’. It is a fantastic chance to showcase our teams in front of a home crowd.
“Our women are talented, deep, and will match up well with any team in the SEC and the NCAA. The men are much improved from a year ago.”
