NEW ORLEANS, La. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF cross country team showed improvement once again, finishing ninth at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Championship on Thursday morning.
“I’m proud of the approach we took and the mentality we brought into a day full of challenges,” UCF assistant coach Bryan Jackson said. “That’s cross country sometimes, a test of wills and character. I thought we fought hard.”
Racing a 6K race for the first time this season, UCF moved up two spots from last year’s 11th place finish in the team standings.
“We definitely expected a bit more from ourselves,” Jackson said. “We leave here proud from the improvement from last year, but also hungry to put on full display at the NCAA regional meet what we are capable of.”
Finishing three places ahead of South Florida, the Knights picked up six points in the War on I-4 rivalry series. The Black and Gold pushed their lead to 15-0 for 2018-19.
After inclement weather originally pushed up the start time, the race was slightly delayed due to lightning in the area. Despite wet course conditions, UCF was able to place four runners in the top 70.
Victoria Jung was the first Knight across the finish line for the fourth time this season, crossing in 24:22.95. She earned her highest finish at the conference championship, taking 38th.
Making their league championship debut, Jessica Dolan and Kaitlyn Soltis joined Jung in the Top 65. Dolan crossed the line in 25:29.93 for 58th and Soltis finished in 25:39.45 for 63rd.
Crystal Tejeda earned her highest finish at The American Championship, crossing the line in 26:02.01 for 69th. Rookie Shayla Sanders posted a 26:51.39 mark in her first 6K as a Knight, and Kayla McGowan improved her finish from last season with a 27:44.85 time on Thursday.
The Knights will now turn their sights to the 2018 NCAA South Region Championship on Nov. 9 in Tallahassee.
Photo courtesy of Parker Waters/American Athletic Conference