Hesslau Leads Miami XC at FAU Invitational
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A year ago, Gabrielle Hesslau won the inaugural FAU Invitational women’s 5K and on Friday night the junior defended her title.
Hesslau posted a time of 17:56.9 to finish first at the 2015 season-opening meet and earn her second straight FAU Invitational championship.
“I’m very pround of where the team is at and am very excited,” Hesslau said. “To have these times off increased mileage alone has me looking forward to our season ahead.”
The junior’s time ranks fifth all-time in UM history, while newcomer Anne Den Otter placed second with personal-best time of 18:51.2 that ranks ninth in school history. Mulloy Manning rounded out Miami’s top women’s performers as the sophomore placed eighth with a personal-best time of 19:58.7.
“Gabby took control after Mile 1, “ Miami distance coach Damon Griffiths said. “She looked to be in good fitness. Anne and Mulloy ran aggressive and that earned them personal-bests.”
Sophomore Sean Grossman was Miami’s top finisher in the men’s 5K, placing sixth with a time of 16:02.0. Junior Jon Keller also turned in a solid showing, placing 11th with a time of 16:28.6. Freshman Sean Hagert was not far behind Keller, finishing 14th with a time of 16:44.5.
“Grossman, Keller and Hagert performed like I thought they would, very strong,” Griffiths said. “Overall, today gave me a gauge of where we currently are as a team. I’m excited about the strong front packs for both the men and women, but we will need to get better efforts from our number 4 through 7 runners.”
The women finished second with 38 points, while Miami’s men placed third with 45 points. The Hurricanes are back in action on Sept. 19 at the Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.
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