Sept. 24, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
Complete Results GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF cross country team competed against some of the top squads in the region Saturday at the Mountain Dew Invitational at the University of Florida Golf Course. The Knights finished 10th as a team.
UCF was paced by freshman Jamie Perzanowski (St. Clairsville, Ohio). For the third time in as many events this season, she was UCF's top finisher, completing the 5K in 18:04.04 to finish 11th. Freshman Teresa Huff (Titusville, Fla.) finished in 19:53.92 to place 59th.
The Knights showed improvement at the event in Gainesville from a year ago when they finished 13th as a team.
"Compared to last year, I feel good about the improvement," UCF cross country coach Paul Brown said. "This race was about us getting the experience from facing some good competition. This was a big race with 208 runners and a high quality of competition. We are focused on getting that experience for the conference meet, which is just over a month away. We are getting ready for when we need to be at our best."
Host Florida won the team event, followed by North Carolina.
UCF sophomore Jessica Pachay (St. Cloud, Fla.) recorded a personal best 20:14.58 to place 69th. Freshman Amelia Williams (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) finished in 20:16.96, good enough for 73rd. Fellow rookie Cody Castillo (Cocoa, Fla.) placed 86th as she crossed the finish line in 20:40.19.
Four other Knights competed in Gainesville, including sophomore Erica Winston (Long Beach, Calif.), who placed 97th in 20:56.10.
UCF will return to action on Oct. 8 at the Disney Cross Country Classic in nearby Lake Buena Vista.