Oct. 12, 2007
DeLAND, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF's cross country teams shined at the Sodexho Stetson Hatter Invitational Friday, as the Knights grabbed the title in the men's race and earned third place in the women's event. It was the women's fourth top-five showing of the year, while it was the third for the men's squad.
"The highlight today was how the men's team was able to squeeze out the win over Xavier, who came down from Cincinnati this weekend," said Mason Cathey, who coaches UCF's distance runners. "We've been working on racing strategy and teamwork going into this race, and the men's team really did a good job of putting those two together. They looked great throughout the race.
"The women had an alright day, and I think they learned a little bit more about their strengths and how to prepare for the conference meet Oct. 27."
To kick off the afternoon, the women were the first to take the course in DeLand, Fla. With two runners finishing in the top 10, the Knights comfortably took third with 65 points, 33 ahead of fourth-place Florida Atlantic. Xavier (45) and Florida International (59) were the only two programs to complete the 5K event ahead of the Black and Gold.
Pacing the women for the second time this season was junior Jamie Rzepecki (East Aurora, N.Y.), who nabbed sixth place thanks to a time of 19:05. Senior Elizabeth Miller (Orlando, Fla.) had the other top-10 showing by earning eighth with a personal-best time of 19:19. Rounding out the Knights' five scorers were senior Karen Kozub (Alden, N.Y.) at 13th with a time of 19:30, junior Shantile Blackburn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at 18th with a 19:43 performance and sophomore Jenny Clausen (Jackson, N.J.) at 20th with a time of 19:49.
The men got underway moments later and the Knights found a way to get past Xavier for the 8K championship, edging the Musketeers by three points with a total of 39. UCF's top five competitors all finished in the top 11 en route to the title.
Leading the way for the men was senior Paul Fitzpatrick (Ocala, Fla.), as he notched fourth after posting a time of 26:21. Junior Daniel Conn (Ocala, Fla.) followed Fitzpatrick in sixth place with a 26:28 showing, and senior Paul Nielsen (Oviedo, Fla.) grabbed eighth by running a time of 26:46. Senior Matt Clements (Oviedo, Fla.) completed the top 10 by wrapping up his afternoon in 10th place with a time of 26:58, and sophomore Richie Bonilla (Weston, Fla.) was right behind Clements by placing 11th with a time of 27:00.
The Knights now look forward to the Conference USA Championships Oct. 27. The event is hosted by UTEP and will take place in Santa Teresa, N.M.
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