Abby Clements and Penelope Sosa continued to make ground during the first half of the race, placing in the early 100s at the 3k mark. By the home stretch though, it would be freshman Avery Latto who would join Clements as they approached the finish line.
The latter would cross the line in 22:00.5, capping off a breakout season in which the sophomore paced the Knights on multiple occasions and dropped her 6k best by nearly a minute. Latto serves as an even greater sign for the next few years, as the freshman raised her performance in the 6k, consistently being amongst the leading pack. Her time of 22:04.9 placed her right behind Clements in 107th.
A group of juniors would follow, with Kendall Hughes tallying a 116th-place finish with an impressive 22:19.4, gradually increasing through the field down the stretch. Paige Jaszczak trailed just behind in 124th, clocking in at 22:32.0, boasting an impressive fourth split between 4000m and 5000m (3:45.2)
While Penelope Sosa got out to a great start, the Miami native would have to settle for a 132nd place finish with a time of 22:40.7. Riley Jaszczak saved her best split for last as she rose 15 places before crossing the line in 137th with a time of 22:45.4.
Freshman Ava Quattrocchi rounded out the UCF lineup with an 146th place finish and another promising time of 22:49.2, as she too has mirrored Latto’s progress during her first year in Orlando.
Florida’s Hilda Olemomoi took home the top crown in 19:30.6, while the Gators would trail Alabama overall by 16 points with the Crimson Tide placing three individuals among the top 10, as each squad secured automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wisconsin later this month.
Results
Team Finish: 20th (580 Pts.)
