XC Finishes Regular Season at USF Invitational
TAMPA, Fla. – Sophomore Simone Vreeland ran a season-best time and earned a top 20 finish for the Miami cross country team, Friday at the USF Invitational. The Miami women finished sixth, while the Canes’ men earned an eighth-place team finish.
For a complete look of how the Canes finished today, click here.
Vreeland was the first Cane to cross the finish line for the women’s team, finishing 11th overall. Vreeland’s time of 19:14.04 in the 5K was the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native’s best time of the season.
“I was pleased on how Simone performed today,” UM distance coach Damon Griffiths said. “She stepped up and ran almost a lifetime best on a soggy course.”
Senior Anne den Otter was the second Cane to finish at the Claw course for the Canes with a time of 19:40.04. Abby Kettle was right behind the senior with a time of 19:40.98.
Daria Pietropaolo finished with a season-best time of 22:22.50 and Molly Rickles, who hasn’t competed since the opening race of the season at FAU, also posted a season-best time of 23:44.62. Lauren Schiffenhaus competed in her first race as a Cane, finishing with a time 21:05.75.
Despite not having top performer Ryley Howard competing, Griffiths was pleased with what he saw from his team.
“We competed well today on the women’s side,” Griffiths said. “I was looking for who would dig deep and take advantage of the moment.”
On the men’s side, sophomore Dylan Sykes finished first for the Canes for the fourth consecutive meet. Sykes again finished in the top 20, finishing 17th with his time of 28:35.92.
“Dylan was not on his best today, but he still fought hard to race with the leaders,” Griffiths said. “Racing like that will benefit him as he matures.”
Matthew Wiefels finished second on the team to Sykes with his time of 29:21.85, while James Hasell finished with a time of 29:52.14. Sam Fleischman (31:49.65) and Taj Bland (36:51.32) closed out the competition for the Canes.
With the conclusion of the regular season, Miami has two weeks off from competition before traveling to Boston College for the ACC Championships on Oct. 26.
For more information on the 2018 cross country schedule, click here.
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