Hughes and Clements Impress in Regular-Season Finale at Bradley Pink ClassicHughes and Clements Impress in Regular-Season Finale at Bradley Pink Classic
=DS= / UCF Athletics

Hughes and Clements Impress in Regular-Season Finale at Bradley Pink Classic

by Alex Clough

PEORIA, Illinois - Competing in its final regular-season meet, the UCF cross country team impressed with multiple strong performances at the Newman Golf Course. Once again, Kendall Hughes was one to watch, setting her third-consecutive personal best with a time of 21:46.0.

The junior led the Knights in 80th, breaking her previous record set two weeks ago at the Pirate Invitational in Greenville, North Carolina, by nearly a minute.

Anytime you don’t have your number-one runner it can change the mindset of a team. Fortunately for us I thought it changed our mindset in a positive way. We had ladies that wanted to represent that number one position today even if it was just one race. We went out way more aggressive than we have in previous races and while it may have cost us a few spots, for me it was what I wanted to see.

Assistant coach Bryan Harmon

Abby Clements continues her strong form, rounding out the top 100 with a personal best of 21:57.7. Paige Jaszczak produced her best outing of the season with a 21:58.3, crossing the line in 104th.

Placing back-to-back, junior Penelope Sosa clocked a 22:16.0 after a strong first 3k, eventually finishing 131st. Freshman Ava Quattrocchi authored a standout performance with a personal-best 22:16.3.

Quattroccchi was one of three freshmen to set records as Madison Patchan (23:17.3) and Gianna Del Pizzo (23:27.5) showed signs of promise. Riley Jaszczak continued to stay the course with a 22:58.9 and an 184th-place finish.

Avery Latto rounded out the Knights’ offering, clocking a 23:36.9 in 223rd place. Northwestern would prevail in the 259-athlete field, garnering just 44 points.

Coach Harmon and his squad will hit the ground hard over the next two weeks ahead of the program’s second Big 12 Championships on Friday, November 1, in Waco, Texas.

RESULTS

Team Finish: 19th (520 Pts.)

* Personal Best