Cross Country Falls Short at NCAA RegionalCross Country Falls Short at NCAA Regional

Cross Country Falls Short at NCAA Regional

Nov. 12, 2005

GAINESVILLE - The UCF men's cross country team placed 15th and the women took 21st in the NCAA South Regional at the University of Florida Golf Course on Saturday morning.

Ranked 12th in the latest U.S. Cross Country Coaches' Association South Region poll, the men started the race well but began to fall behind. Freshman Chris Mullaney, who was running his first 10K race, continued to top the Golden Knights' lineup as he finished 41st in a time of 32:08.8. The next UCF runner was sophomore Paul Fitzpatrick in 90th at 33:48.84 followed by senior Ray Gossage in 97th at 33:59.35. Also in scoring position were junior Ryan White in 110th at 34:24.34 and sophomore Paul Nielsen in 116th at 34:35.21.

The Golden Knights finished with 413 points to rank 15th in a field of 22 schools. Alabama claimed the title with 40 points as Florida State (47 pts.) was second and host Florida (77) was third. Tennessee (100) captured fourth and Georgia (147) grabbed fifth place.

"The men opened strong but just couldn't keep up the pace," said head coach Marcia Mansur-Wentworth. "We were disappointed in the result, but it is something we can build upon next year."

Led by senior Andrea Morrow, the UCF women collected 552 points to finish 21st place of 24 teams. Morrow finished 106th with a time of 23:41.62 in the 6K. Freshman Jamie Rzepecki was six places behind at 23:49.82.

Sophomore Elizabeth Miller finished 118th at 23:54.57, while sophomore captain Karen Kozub was 136th and sophomore Allison Palmer was 139th.

Tennessee took home the women's title with 76 points followed by Georgia (98 pts.), Florida State (118), UAB (162) and Florida (178).

The NCAA South Regional concluded the Golden Knights' 2005 season.