Oct. 11, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Led by senior Allison Palmer (Oviedo, Fla.), UCF finished eighth out of 44 teams at the Disney Classic Saturday morning at the Wide World of Sports Complex. The Knights had 253 points in the meet, which was won by Conference USA foe UAB. UT San Antonio's Dana Mecke won the individual title.
"Today was an average day for our team," said head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. "I was very glad to see Allison Palmer and Erica Weitz (Morganville, N.J.) run up to their ability. I look to see them do great things in Conference. Shantile Blackburn (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a tough race, and everyone else is coming along. We need to focus at conference at performing under pressure. Life is full of adverse situations, and you have to be able to perform at your best when it counts and when it does not because in life everything counts."
Palmer, who sat out last weekend's race, toured the course in 18:45.10 to lead UCF and finish 28th overall. Weitz placed 42nd with a time of 18:57.60. Shannon Kelly (Tampa, Fla.), Ocean Cohen (Sarasota, Fla.) and Katrina Skinner (Tampa, Fla.) rounded out the top five for UCF in 55th, 59th and 82nd place respectively. The race featured 353 runners.
"We had an okay race, but their workouts have been tough trying to build towards conference," said assistant coach Tyangela Sanders. "Overall I was happy, but our performance could have been better. We need to use this to learn from as we get ready for the conference meet."
The Knights will return to action on Nov. 1 when they compete in the Conference USA Championships in Memphis, Tenn.
"The runners did a good job overall, but it was not as strong a performance as we would have liked," said volunteer assistant coach Dennis Kozub. "We have been working hard, and it is important for us to keep doing that and get ready to do our best at conference."
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Disney Classic - Oct. 11, 2008
28. Allison Palmer, 18:45.10
42. Erica Weitz, 18:57.60
55. Shannon Kelly, 19:14.70
59. Ocean Cohen, 19:20.60
82. Katrina Skinner, 19:39.10