Raquet Leads Knights to Florida Intercollegiate Crown in Season Opener

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The UCF women’s cross country team opened its 2026 campaign in dominant fashion Friday evening, capturing the team title at the Florida Intercollegiate behind an individual victory from Alexandra Raquet at Cecil Field.

The Knights finished with 43 points, placing all five scorers inside the top 13 to secure the program’s first team victory of the Bryan Harmon era. North Florida finished runner-up with 74 points, followed by Florida Atlantic with 88.

Raquet set the tone from the front, crossing the line first in 16:52.88 to claim the individual title. The junior shattered her previous personal best of 17:19.0 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, newcomer Caroline Moon made an immediate impact in her UCF debut, finishing sixth in 17:58.09. Madison Patchan followed just over a second later, taking seventh in 17:59.24.

The Knights then closed their scoring five with back-to-back finishes. Bella Brick, also making her UCF debut, placed 12th in 18:13.17, while Daisy Ross crossed immediately behind her in 13th at 18:13.84.

UCF’s depth continued beyond its scoring five as Emily Wheldon finished 19th in 18:21.70 and Bailey McLain followed in 20th with an 18:22.46. Freshman Sarah Rose made her collegiate debut with a 29th-place finish in 18:36.02. Dunja Sikima and Raquel Edwards rounded out the Knights’ lineup.

Raquet, Moon, Patchan, Wheldon and McLain each recorded personal-best 5K performances, while Ross turned in a collegiate-best mark. 

UP NEXT:

The Knights will have two weeks to prepare for their next test as they return to Huntsville, Alabama, for the Southern Showcase on Sept. 18.