Men’s Team Accumulates 39 Points; Women’s Team Gathers 42 Points
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Gators Men’s Cross Country team seized first place in the Men’s 8k, while their female counterparts clinched second in the Women’s 5k at the FSU Cross Country Invitational on Friday. This marked the Gators’ second meet of the 2023 season and their first away from home.
Men’s Race: Strategic Moves and Strong Finish:
The men’s team, seeking redemption after a third-place finish at the Mountain Dew Invitational two weeks prior, executed a calculated race strategy.
Occupying the second-place spot until the 6k mark, they surged ahead to claim and maintain the lead. – Read more: How to watch Chile Pepper Festival 2023 for free?
Ethan Geiger, a seasoned competitor since his 2020 collegiate debut at this very event, clocked in at 24:42.10 to finish first overall. His ascent to the top was marked by a decisive move in the race’s final kilometer.
Teammates Joe Wester, Aiden Villasuso, Javi Vento, and Matt Mule’ also contributed with top-20 finishes, rounding off the men’s point total at 39.
Women’s Race: Consistent Performance Following the men’s race, the Gators’ women’s team took to the 5k course. They quickly secured the second-place position and maintained it throughout the race. Lucinda Rourke, competing for the first time this year, led the Gators with a time of 17:24.00.
Her teammates, Liina Winborn and Sayla Donnelley, along with Jordan Shapiro and Rylee Pustilnik, finished within the top 15, contributing to a team total of 42 points.
Coach’s Remarks Florida Gators Head Coach Will Palmer expressed satisfaction with both teams’ performances.
“The most exciting thing about today is how we executed,” he said. “This meet was all about refining our racing process, and both teams made some great changes.”
LSU Wins FSU Cross Country Invitational With Packing
LSU Women Dominate In a noteworthy development, the LSU women’s team dominated the FSU Cross Country Invitational, finishing first among 35 teams, including No. 8 Florida and No. 28 Florida State.
Their victory, marked by a point total of 27, was spearheaded by a 1-2-3 finish from Lorena Rangel-Batres, Michaela Rose, and Ella Chesnut.
“I thought we ran a really good team race,” said LSU cross country coach Houston Franks. “We were really patient and put ourselves in a good position to let the race develop.
“When it was time to push for home, I thought we did a really good job.”
Results – FSU Cross Country Invitational
Women’s Top-10 Team Scores
- LSU – 27
- No. 8 Florida – 42
- FIU – 106
- Tampa – 110
- Miami (Fla.) – 170
- Palm Beach Atlantic – 222
- No. 28 Florida State – 241
- Florida Southern – 259
- South Florida – 260
- Nova Southeastern – 294
Men’s Top-10 Team Scores
- Florida – 39
- Embry-Riddle – 75
- Florida Southern – 82
- Tampa – 114
- South Florida – 178
- Miami (Fla.) – 213
- LSU – 21
- Florida Gulf Coast – 268
- Auburn Montgomery – 278
- Huntington – 278
Click here for the full team scores and results.
