Sept. 18, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Five runners posted times under 20 minutes and the UCF cross country team posted a strong top-five finish against a tough field at the Mountain Dew Invitational Friday evening in Gainesville.
Florida hosted the meet and took first place in the event with 18 points. The Knights posted 150 points to round out the top five behind Tampa (87), USF (125) and Jacksonville (125).
"I am extremely proud of the team today," said cross country coach Tyangela Sanders. "We finished the same place as last year, but we had five athletes with less than 20 minutes. As a team we are stepping up and ready for all the challenges that will come our way this year.
In her second meet of the season after missing 2008 due to injury, senior Jamie Rzepecki again led the Knights across the finish line, taking 15th place in a field of 227 runners with a time of 18:38.12. She just missed her personal best by less than five seconds from the 2007 season.
Junior Ocean Cohen finished close behind Rzepecki in 20th place, crossing in 18:45.38. Carley Dart and Erica Weitz were third and fourth under four seconds apart in 37th and 39th respectively. Dart improved her previous personal best of 20:11.99 drastically with a time of 19:28.44. Freshman Alyssa Franks rounded out the UCF runners in 53rd place. She finished her first collegiate race in 19:56.70.
UCF returns home next weekend to host the Knight Attack Challenge Saturday morning at the UCF Cross Country Complex.
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.
Mountain Dew Invitational
Gainesville, Fla.
September 18, 2009
Teams (out of 23)
1. Florida, 18
2. Tampa, 87
3. USF, 121
4. Jacksonville, 125
5. UCF, 150
Individuals
15. Jamie Rzepecki, 18:38.12 20. Ocean Cohen, 18:45.11 37. Carley Dart, 19:28.44 39. Erica Weitz, 19:31.25 53. Alyssa Franks, 19:56.70 64. Shannon Kelly, 20:12.69