Miami Places in Top 10 at Mountain Dew Invite
Sept. 18, 2010
GAINESVILLE, Fla –
The University of Miami cross country team continued its strong start to the 2010 season by placing in the Top 10 in both the men’s and women’s races at the Mountain Dew Invitational Saturday at the University of Florida Golf Course.
Freshmen Connor Adams and Brooke Dovell led the men’s and women’s teams to fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively.
Two weeks ago, Dovell took the individual title at the King of the Hill Challenge on her way to being named the ACC Cross Country Performer of the Week. On Saturday, in a 5K field that featured 21 colleges and universities and 208 competitors, the Erial, N.J. native placed 10th overall at 17:56.11 – the third best time in Miami history for a 5K race.
Fellow freshman Lindsi Arrington placed 22nd with a time of 18:37.80. The next three scoring runners were all seniors – Katharine Woodard (19:00.46), Caitlin Knapp and Emma Steppe – as the ‘Canes finished with a team score of 172 points. Arrington and Woodard both found their way into the record books, running the sixth and 10th best times in program history, respectively.
Assistant cross country coach Damon Griffiths said, “the women ran very well today and several came home with personal-best performances. Brooke ran a fantastic race today, improving her personal-best time by over a minute.”
For the men, Adams once again was the first Hurricane to cross the finish line. His time of 25:45.40 was good for 14th overall and ranks 12th all-time in school history for an 8K race. Just four places behind Adams in 18th place was fellow freshman Sean Pezzulo (26:04.63).
The other scorers for the men were sophomore Greg Kaczka and freshmen Phil Wood and Michael Coogan. Out of 18 collegiate teams, Miami finished with 157 points.
“The men had a solid performance today,” added Griffiths. “It was the first 8K race for most of them. As they gain more experience, they will continue to get better. Connor and Sean ran very strong races today.”
Florida claimed both team championships, with Josh Izewski taking the men’s overall title in 24:39.52. Jacksonville’s Joane Pierre was the women’s champion, finishing in 17:33.50.
The ‘Canes will return to action on Oct. 2 when they head to Kentucky to compete in the Greater Louisville Classic.
“With over a month before the conference championship, we are improving at every practice and each meet. We are right where we want to be,” said Griffiths.
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