ORLANDO – The UCF women’s cross-country team has announced its 2023 schedule, its first as a member of the Big 12 Conference. After a decade in the American Athletic Conference, the Knights are set to embark on a three-meet regular season slate, followed by the Big 12 Championships, hosted at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Along with the inaugural Big 12 slate, the cross-country squad will have a new face leading the charge, as head coach Dana Boone has hired former Stetson cross-country head coach, Bryan Harmon, as assistant coach for the distance squad. Four new Knights will join an experienced squad led by fifth-year Charlotte Crook, along with a few rising stars embarking on their sophomore campaign.
The Knights will kick off their season on September 1 with a trip south to Boca Raton for the Florida Atlantic Invitational. In 2022, Penelope Sosa won the 5k race with a time of 17:55.30, while seven other athletes finished among the top-15.
UCF will travel to Kentucky on September 30 for its first-ever appearance in the Louisville Classic. The Knights will compete against some of the top programs in the nation leading up to the postseason as their final regular season meets see’s the squad return to Texas A&M University for the Arturo Barrios Invitational on October 13.
Following the Black and Gold’s first Big 12 Championships appearance, the Knights will travel north to Gainesville, Florida, for the NCAA South Regional Championships. The 2023 slate will be the second consecutive season that the majority of the Knights competitions take place outside Florida.