NCAA Regional Information
TAMPA - The University of South Florida cross country teams continue their 2009 postseason at the NCAA Regional Saturday at Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The men's 10k will begin at 11 a.m., while the women's 6k will follow at 12:15 p.m.
The Bulls will be among 30 teams competing in the 10k, while a total of 32 teams will run in the women's race this season.
At last season's regional in Knoxville, Tenn., the women finished 14th overall, while the men took 19th. Sophomore Nicole Rozario placed 47th at the meet to lead the USF women, and junior Pedro Carela had the top overall time for the Bulls on the men's side.
Both squads are coming off their performances at the BIG EAST Championships Oct. 31 in Milwaukee. The women finished 12th at the meet, while the men were one spot down in their race in 13th.
Rozario was again the top finisher for USF - the fifth time in the five meets she has run - with a time of 22:42.80, good enough for 43rd overall. Four other sophomores followed suit, with Allie Prendergast, Yasmin Smith, Jen Wynands and Devin Spoerle earning the second - fifth place finishes for the Bulls.
Prendergast, Wynands and Smith have cross the finish line in the top 4 for USF in every meet they have competed in this season. Spoerle and senior Kelly Savery have also finished in the top 5 for the Bulls this season. Sophomore Christine Johnston will round out USF's contingent at Regionals.
On the men's side, senior Ryan Courtoy took the top overall spot for the Bulls at the league championships, finishing 52nd overall with a time of 27:11.70. He was followed by sophomore Phillip Wise, while sophomore Lucas Simari, senior Robert Sudduth, freshman Felix Soto and junior Pedro Carela went 3-4-5-6 for the Bulls and cross the line one after the other.
Sophomore Jon Bing will be USF's seventh and final runner at Regional.
The 2009 NCAA cross country season comes to a close Nov. 23 with the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.