Cross Country Returns to Action at Southern Showcase

ORLANDO - Following a statement victory in its season opener, the UCF women’s cross country team returns to competition Friday, Sept. 18, at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala. 

The Knights enter their second meet of the 2026 campaign with momentum after winning the Florida Intercollegiate with 43 points, securing the first team victory of distance coach Bryan Harmon’s tenure at UCF. All five UCF scorers placed inside the top 13, led by junior Alexandra Raquet’s individual title in 16:52.88.

Raquet’s performance marked one of the strongest season-opening races in program history. The Tampa native shattered her previous personal best by more than 26 seconds and moved into second place on UCF’s all-time 5K list. Her mark came just 2.69 seconds shy of Anne-Marie Blaney’s program record of 16:50.19, set in 2013.

Behind Raquet, Caroline Moon impressed in her UCF debut with a sixth-place finish in 17:58.09, while Madison Patchan crossed just over a second later in seventh at 17:59.24. Fellow newcomer Bella Brick placed 12th in 18:13.17, and Daisy Ross followed closely behind in 13th at 18:13.84 to complete the Knights’ scoring five.

The Knights’ depth extended beyond its scoring five, with Emily Wheldon placing 19th in 18:21.70 and Bailey McLain finishing 20th in 18:22.46. Freshman Sarah Rose made her collegiate debut, with a 29th-place finish in 18:36.02. Raquet, Moon, Patchan, Wheldon and McLain each posted personal-best 5K times, while Ross recorded a collegiate-best mark.

The Knights now return to a familiar course at the Southern Showcase, where several UCF runners turned in strong performances a season ago. In 2025, Yvone Sandui led the Knights with a personal best time of 17:11.9, placing 19th overall, and etched her name into the Knights’ history books by earning the second-best 5K time in the program’s history at the time. 

After an encouraging opening meet featuring strong performances from both newcomers and returners, the Knights will look to continue their momentum in Huntsville and take another step forward early in the 2026 season.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.