HOOVER, Ala. - The University of South Florida cross country teams concluded the 2010 season this weekend at the NCAA South Regional in Hoover, Ala., where the men's team finished 12th out of 18 teams, while the women's team finished 14th out of 25 teams.
"I couldn't have asked for anything better out of these teams today as all but one of our runners either ran a personal best or season best," said cross country coach Dena Reif. "This was a great meet for us, on both sides. It was a great course and the weather was perfect."
The Sunshine State was represented heavily at the competition with Florida State and Florida claiming the top two spots in the women's race to advance to the NCAA Championships. Alabama and Florida State finished first and second, respectively, on the men's side to advance to the NCAA Finals.
Junior Phillip Wise was the top finisher for the men's team, clocking in at 31:56.29 to finish in 48th place, followed by senior Pedro Carela in 54th place with a time of 32:13.09. Lucas Simari crossed the finish line at the 33:27.53 mark to take 98th place, while Connor Bauer (108th, 33:43.65), Jonathan Bing (121st, 34:27.60) and Julian Gines (142nd, 36:18.49) rounded out the field for the Bulls, earning 341 points in the 10K run.
"I was very impressed with the way our men finished out the year," said Reif. "This is a hard competition, especially for our freshmen and they all ran well today. Last year, the men were 19th and so, they ran much better than last year. All six of our men ran personal bests and I couldn't have asked for more."
Allie Prendergast, the junior from Orlando, Fla., led the Bulls on the women's side, once again, posting a personal best of 21:15.02 to earn a 39th-place finish, while Yasmin Smith crossed the line in 21:47.79 for 56th. Junior Shaniel Chambers grabbed 79th place after earning a 22:10.93 mark.
Junior Devin Spoerle followed with a time of 22:32.30 in 79th position, while Nicole Rozario, who ran injured, still managed to complete the competition with a time of 22:47.16. Christine Johnston (130th, 23:07.52) and Rachel Etienne (143rd, 23:30.93) rounded out the women's field as the Bulls totaled 352 points in the 6K run.
"Five out of seven of our women ran personal bests, while one of our women ran a season best," said Reif. "Even with Rozario being injured, she still ran very well and finished the competition. All of them ran very well and they finished out the year very strong and I couldn't have asked for a better performance."
The cross country teams will take a brief recess before they begin training for indoor track and field season. USF's track and field teams will jump-start the 2010 season on Dec. 3 when they compete at the SIU Open in Carbondale, Ill.
Men's Team Results
1. Alabama, 30
2. Florida State, 55
3. Florida, 76
4. Tennessee, 150
5. Georgia, 157
6. Chattanooga, 193
7. Ole Miss, 219
8. Belmont, 236
9. Kennesaw State, 244
10. Mississippi State, 277
11. North Florida, 287
12. USF, 341
13. Lipscomb, 342
14. Vanderbilt, 364
15. Mississippi Valley State, 373
16. Mercer, 375
17. Miami, 413
18. Tennessee Tech, 475
Men's Individual Results
48. Phillip Wise, 31:56.29
54. Pedro Carela, 32.13.09
98. Lucas Simari, 33:27.53
108. Connor Bauer, 33:43.65
121. Jonathan Bing, 34:27.60
142. Julian Gines, 36:18.49
Women's Team Results
1. Florida State, 24
2. Florida, 67
3. Vanderbilt, 102
4. Georgia, 137
5. Mississippi State, 196
6. UAB, 206
7. Alabama, 239
8. Ole Miss, 270
9. Lipscomb, 283
10. Samford, 294
11. North Florida, 302
12. Chattanooga, 330
13. Florida Atlantic, 337
14. USF, 352
15. Georgia Tech, 353
16. Belmont, 423
17. Miami, 476
18. Tennessee, 489
19. Georgia State, 503
20. Jacksonville State, 534
21. Mercer, 580
22. Memphis, 600
23. South Alabama, 674
24. Central Florida, 729
25. Tennessee Tech, 735
Women's Individual Results
39. Allie Prendergast, 21:15.02
56. Yasmin Smith, 21:47.79
79. Shaniel Chambers, 22:10.93
97. Devin Spoerle, 22:32.30
109. Nicole Rozario, 22:47:16
130. Christine Johnston, 23:07.52
143. Rachel Etienne, 23:30.93
