Canes XC Earns Top 5 Finishes at USF
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Miami cross country team earned a pair of top-five finishes at the USF Invitational Friday.
The Hurricanes had eight women and eight men race at USF, with the women’s 5K beginning at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the men’s 8K at 5:45 p.m. ET. Miami’s men earned a third-place finish with 89 points, while the women’s team came in fifth with 139 points.
“Both teams made majors strides today,” Miami distance coach Damon Griffiths said. “I think some people finally got it today. I look forward to next week’s dual meet with FIU to work on race strategy for ACCs.”
Sean Grossman led the Hurricane men in Tampa, placing fourth with a personal-best time of 25:48.70. The junior was followed by senior Jon Keller, who placed seventh with a time of 26:17.53. Adam George finished 19th with a personal-best time of 27:28.84 to give the Canes three finishers in the top 20.
Michael Miano (27:59.29) and Tom Gassner (28:00.29) ran personal bests, while Luke Dublirer rounded out a men’s team that earned its fourth consecutive top-five finish of the season.
“Sean and Jon made the commitment to keep the race honest through the early miles,” Griffiths said. “We had a total team effort today. We have been nicked up the last couple of weeks. To place third today by only two points, shows how much better we have gotten since as a unit since the Mountain Dew Invitational.”
Gabrielle Hesslau paced Miami’s women, finishing second with a time of 17:53.27. Mulloy Manning was the next Cane to cross the finish line, placing 23rd with a time of 19:37.11.
“Gabrielle set the tone in the early miles of the race, preparing her for what the early miles at conference will be like,” Griffiths said. “And I’m proud of the performance from Mulloy. She really stepped up today.”
Anne Den Otter, Carla Rodriguez, Sarah Raboff and Megan Brown completed the group of Hurricane women that combined to earn its third top-five team finish of the season.
“Finishing fifth as a team is moving in the right direction, but we need to be more consistent with our top five runners,” Griffiths said.
Following this weekend’s races in Tampa, the Canes will host the Miami Duals on Oct. 20. The Miami Duals will be Miami’s first home cross country event since hosting the Miami Greentree Invitational in 2012. It will also be The Hurricanes’ final race before the 2016 ACC Cross Country Championships in Cary, N.C., on Oct. 28.
NCAA Regional Championships are slated for Nov. 11 in Tallahassee, Fla., with the NCAA Championships taking place on Nov. 19 in South Bend, Ind.
Miami Lineups
Men: Luke Dublirer, Tom Gassner, Adam George, Sean Grossman, Jon Keller, Michael Miano
Women: Megan Brown, Anne Den Otter, Gabrielle Hesslau, Mulloy Manning, Sarah Raboff, Carla Rodriguez
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