Oct. 15, 2010
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
DeLAND, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Competing without one of its top five runners in sophomore Alyssa Franks, the UCF cross country team placed sixth of 11 teams with 131 team points at Friday's Hatter Invitational hosted by Stetson. Senior Ocean Cohen placed seventh in a field of more than 100 runners in 18:58 to pace the Knights at the meet.
"To be honest, I knew we wouldn't run as fast without Alyssa," cross country coach Paul Brown said. "But I knew that we could use this meet to see different things from this team and continue to improve."
Senior Carley Dart was the second UCF runner to finish. Dart crossed the line in 19:27, good for 15th place. Freshman Danielle Scaffidi jumped up into the mix of the Knights' top scoring runners with a 28th-place showing in 19:57.
Freshman Sierra Solaun and Ne'Ausha Logan were the final two UCF harriers to post finishes in the scoring. Solaun and Logan crossed the line in 47th and 48th place, respectively. Solaun's time of 20:53 was two seconds faster than Logan's time of 20:55 immediately behind her.
Other Knights competing at the meet were Mason Gardberg (56th, 21:10), Erica Winston (58th, 21:17), Dan'Elle Bellamy (71st, 21:54), Eva Pierce (95th, 23:28) and Aisha-Maree Frazier (100 th, 26:30).
Bellamy posted her fastest time on this course, while both Dart and Gardberg improved on their times on this course from last season's meet.
"I am not satisfied and I hope that we can move past this and start to make the corrections and adjustments we need to as we get closer to the conference meet," Brown added.
The Knights will next run again on Friday, Oct. 22 in Lakeland, Fla., at the Florida Southern Invitational.