TAMPA - The University of South Florida men's and women's cross country teams continued to make strides in 2009, as the young Bulls added another year of experience to their resumes.
Head coach Warren Bye and assistant coach Dena Reif entered the campaign with a rather young team, as USF's top runners on the women's side were all sophomores, while the men boasted mostly underclassmen as well as a few juniors and seniors. Nearly every runner from both teams will return in 2010.
The women were led by sophomore Nicole Rozario, who finished first for the Bulls in every meet she competed in. Joining her were several of her classmates, including Allie Prendergast, Yasmin Smith and Jen Wynands, who posted top 5 finishes for the Bulls in every meet they competed in as well.
Also making a splash in her second year with the Bulls was Devin Spoerle, who earned a top 5 placement each time except for one, while senior Kelly Savery and sophomore Shaniel Chambers added depth to the lineup for USF.
The men were led by several runners, including senior Ryan Courtoy and sophomore Phillip Wise, who finished first for the Bulls three and two times, respectively. Also earning top billing for USF in a meet was junior Pedro Carela.
Freshman Felix Soto came in right away and posted some of USF's best performances on the year, while senior Robert Sudduth, junior Brian Benjamin and sophomores Sean Foster, Jon Bing and Lucas Simari also added points for USF when called upon.
USF began the season at the Early Bird Classic hosted by the University of Tampa on Sept. 4. After rain nearly halted the meet from ever starting, USF was able to get its first 2009 action in, as the Bulls finished second on both the men's and women's side out of a total nine teams.
Despite the conditions, Rozario finished in second in 18:37.90, followed in order by Prendergast in fourth and Wynands, Smith and Spoerle, who each finished under 20 minutes and in the top 20. For the men, Courtoy ran the 5k race in 16:24.00, with Wise, Soto, Carela and Simari all crossing the line within 30 seconds of Courtoy.
USF then headed to Gainesville to run in the Mountain Dew Invitational Sept. 18. The women continued their strong start, taking third overall among a field of 23 teams, while the men came in eighth out of a total of 18 squads.
Rozario had another top time and shaved 16 seconds off her first-meet time in 18:21.95. Again finishing under 20 minutes was, in order, Prendergast, Smith, Wynands and Spoerle. Wise carried the flag for the men's team, finishing in 25th in 26:17.30. Carela and Simari boasted times under 27:30.00 for USF.
Following another two-week break, USF ran in the Paul Short Invitational up at Lehigh Oct. 2. The women, competing in the top-tier gold division, finished 28th while running the 6k for the only time before the BIG EAST Championships, while the men were 14th in the middle tier brown division.
Rozario's time of 21:24.00 in the 6k placed her 39th among a strong field, followed by Smith, Prendergast and Wynands. Chambers earned her first top 5 finish for the Bulls in 2009 as well. Courtoy's mark of 26:09.00 earned him top billing for USF, with Carela and Soto arriving to the line within 15 seconds of Courtoy.
USF rested its top runners for the Disney Invitational the next week on Oct. 10, but it did give many of the Bulls' 'B' runners a chance to get in some experience midway through the season. The Bulls placed 19th out of 30 teams that day, with sophomore Kristi DeGraw-Higgins, junior Meagan Smithyman and freshman Caroline Northup going 1-2-3 for the Bulls.
USF had one more opportunity to get some competition in before the conference championships as USF went East up I-4 for the Hatter Invitational hosted by Stetson Oct. 16. Both teams came out strong, with the men earning fourth while the women were even better at second.
Rozario and Prendergast earned top-10 overall finishes in third and sixth, respectively, as Rozario ran the top time on the year in 18:06.00. Along with Prendergast, Wynands, Spoerle and Savery rounded out the top 5 for USF and placed in the top 30 at the meet. Carela had the best day for the men in 11th place, while Wise finished two spots behind him in 13th.
Finding themselves back up in cold weather in Milwaukee for the BIG EAST Championships Oct. 31, the Bulls fared almost exactly as the season before, with the women taking 12th and the men finishing 13th, one spot below and above, respectively, where they finished in 2008.
Rozario finished the 6k race in 22:42.80, with Prendergast arriving just under a minute later. Smith, Wynands, Spoerle and Chambers each finished within seven spots. It was much the same for the men, with Courtoy and Wise crossing the finish line first, while Simari, Sudduth, Soto, Carela and Bing all came in within seven placements.
USF wrapped up its 2009 season at the NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where the women took 12th out of 23 teams, and the men were 19th of 26. Wise once more had USF's top time in the 10k race in 32:37.56, followed by Carela and Soto under 34 minutes. Rozario and Prendergast went 1-2 for the fifth time during the season.
With nearly every runner back for the 2010 campaign, USF is looking to climb the BIG EAST standings as the Bulls chase their ultimate goal of an NCAA championship berth.
