Oct. 31, 2009
THE WOODLANDS, Texas (www.ucfathletics.com) - Running in muddy conditions Saturday morning, senior Jamie Rzepecki (East Aurora, N.Y.) finished in 21st place to win the Outstanding Senior of the Year award at the 2009 Conference USA Cross Country Championships at the Bear Branch Sportsfields in The Woodlands, Texas. As a team, the Knights finished in ninth place in the event.
SMU took the team title with 28 points while UTEP took second (40) in front of Rice (82), Tulsa (90) and the host, Houston (138). UCF had 222 points to finish ahead of Tulane (254), Memphis (327) and Marshall (327).
Rzepecki, who led UCF in five races this season, finished the 5K course in 19:14.50 to earn All-C-USA third-team honors. As the top senior finisher in the field, she also was named the Outstanding Senior of the Year award.
"Jamie did really well and did her best to carry the team," said cross country coach Tyangela Sanders. "As a team, we wanted to finish higher but that is not what happened. We will go back to the drawing board and get ready for the indoor and outdoor seasons."
Fellow senior Erica Weitz (Morganville, N.J.) was the second Knight across the finish line in 41st place, running the course in 19:59.00. Junior Ocean Cohen (Sarasota, Fla.) finished in 47th (20:11.70) while senior Carley Dart (Whitby, Ontario) and freshman Amethyst Strickland rounded out the teams top five in 52nd (20:19.40) and 66th (20:59.90) respectively.
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2009 Conference USA Championships
The Woodlands, Texas -- Oct. 31, 2009
1. SMU, 28
2. UTEP, 40
3. RICE, 82
4. Tulsa, 90
5. Houston, 138
6. UAB, 154
7. ECU, 193
8. Southern Miss, 205
9. UCF, 222
10. Tulane, 254
11. Memphis, 327
12. Marshall, 338
Individual Results
21. Jamie Rzepecki, 19:14
41. Erica Weitz, 19:59.0
47. Ocean Cohen, 20:11.7
52. Carley Dart, 20:19.4
66. Amethyst Strickland, 20:59.9
70. Katrina Skinner, 21:11.1
79. Jaclyn Johnson, 22:02.9
80. Shannon Kelly, 22:04.6