Orlando - As the UCF cross country team is gearing up for an exciting season and its home-opener Friday night, the eight returned will be joined by an exciting group of freshmen, all coming from Florida..
Among the fresh faces is Gianna Del Pizzo, who is coming off an impressive season in which she placed first in both the FHSAA District 4A(4) and Region 4A(2) 5k events at Lehigh Senior High School. She’ll be joined by fellow Floridian Lucy Voss, who secured five event wins during her senior year at Buchholz High School and is eager to continue her growth while representing the Knights. Her teammate, Emma White, also showcased her skills in the 3200, running an 11:56.04 at the 2024 East Coast Classic, and will join Voss in Orlando.
Freshman Madison Patchan is excited to bring her skill set to the team, having set a personal best (18:43.0) in the 5k at the FHSAA Region 4A-1 Championships with Tocoi Creek High School. It was this performance that gave her a sixth-place finish overall at the championships.
Newcomer Raquel Edwards is coming in with a win in the 1600m (5:01.22) at the FHSAA 3A State Championships in 2023. She also boasts a runner-up finish in the 800m and titles in both the 4x400m and 4x800m relays. Similarly, freshman Reese Anderson, who graduated from the same High School as junior Kendall Hughes (Newsome), had a strong performance at the FHSAA District 4A-4 Championships clocking a personal best of 18:22.0 in the 5k.
Avery Latto stands out with a first-place finish at the Pepsi Florida Relays, where she set a personal best 3200 (10:56.13) and consistently led the pack for Osceola (Seminole) High School, where juniors Andrea Ballestero and Abby Clements graduated. Rounding out the team is Ava Quattrocchi who ran a personal best 5k of 18:38.3 at the Cape Coast Conference.
These promising newcomers aim to build upon an impressive 2023 cross country season from the Knights. The eight new athletes will have their first chance to showcase their skills this Friday, as UCF is set to host the UCF Cross Country Invitational. The women's 5k will begin at 6:15 pm.
Newcomers (all freshmen)
- Reese Anderson: Lithia, Fla. (Newsome HS)
- Gianna Del Pizzo: Fort Myers, Fla. (Lehigh Senior HS)
- Raquel Edwards: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Dillard HS)
- Avery Latto: Seminole, Fla. (Osceola Seminole HS)
- Madison Patchan: St. Augustine, Fla. (Tocoi Creek HS)
- Ava Quattrocchi: Cocoa, Fla. (Rockledge HS)
- Lucy Voss: Gainesville, Fla. (Buchholz HS)
- Emma White: Gainesville, Fla. (Buchholz HS)