XC MEET PREVIEW: NCAA SOUTH REGIONALS

Friday, November 11

Huntsville, Ala.

9:30 a.m. (EST)

University of North Florida

NCAA Regionals

11/10/2022 12:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Live Timing Season Statistics | M Season Statistics | W

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida's cross country teams will continue their push into the postseason at the NCAA South Regional Meet on Friday, Nov. 11, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala. The women's team will make the first strides at 9:30 a.m., and the men will follow at 10:30 a.m. EST.

If either team finishes in the top two of the meet on Friday, they would automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. A third or fourth-place finish at the meet would put them in contention for an at-large bid that would be announced during the NCAA Division I Women's and Men's Cross Country Selection Shows.

There are also 38 individuals across all NCAA regional meets that are selected through an automatic qualifier and at-large bid process if their teams do not qualify for the NCAA Championships. The top four runners that don't qualify with their teams at the regional meet would automatically qualify as individual runners for the NCAA Championship.

LAST TIME OUT

The men's cross country team put forth a great effort at the ASUN Championship, where they took home fourth overall in the meet. Aidan O'Gorman was the fastest finisher for the Ospreys, setting a new personal-best and program-best 8k mark of 23:47.7. Timothy Doyle and Robert Pedroza secured the next two spots in the top three behind O' Gorman, clocking in times just over 24 minutes.

The women's cross country team covered ground quickly at the ASUN Championship placing inside the top five. Emma Jane Schlageter recorded a new personal-best mark of 17:39.1 in the 5k race, while Isa Leen and Ella Chandler both placed under the 17:50 mark in the meet. The Ospreys continue to improve in each race, as they look to break through at regionals on Friday for a chance at a berth in the NCAA Championships.

MAKING STRIDES

O'Gorman has been a consistent top runner for the Ospreys during the 2022 season. Last year, O'Gorman set a top-three program-best 10k time when he placed among the top 20 individuals at the NCAA Regional meet. The New Smyrna Beach, Fla., native moved up 14 spots between the 3.4k and the 6.6k checkpoints earning the second-highest rank for the Ospreys. O'Gorman, alongside Doyle and Jared Vazquez, earned top 10 program-best 10k times in North Florida's D-I history. Doyle placed 50th in the 2021 season's meet finishing just over 31 minutes in the race.

NOTABLE OPPONENTS

A few notable mentions include Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida State, who rank as the top teams in the South region. Although the Osprey men finished third in the 2021 season, Ole Miss and Alabama secured the first two slots at the meet. Last season, Florida State earned two individual first and second placements. Senior Cole Bullock will be returning for Ole Miss after earning a sixth-place finish last season.

Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida State also dominated for the women in the 2021 season. Mercy Chelangat earned the first place mark last season for Alabama and will be making strides this year in the NCAA South Regional meet. Flomena Asekol placed sixth as well last season and will also be returning for Alabama this year. Redshirt sophomore Parker Valby will be returning for Florida in the regional meet, as she placed second last year behind Chelangat.

EVENT SCHEDULE

After racing in a 5k race at the ASUN Championships, the women will take the course first in the 6k race starting at 9:30 a.m. EST. The men will race in their first 10k of the season, which will follow right after the women's race at 10:30 a.m. EST. Both teams will be racing at the John Hunt Park, which was the same location that the Ospreys raced for the ASUN Championship on Oct. 29.

PIGG'S POINTS

"We have made a lot of progress throughout this season. [Aidan] O'Gorman has continued to run at a high level and I think his best race will be this weekend. [Tim] Doyle and [Robert] Pedroza have continued to be good, and transfer Mac [Franks] has helped solidify the top five. We had some big gaps to fill on the men's side this year. Gavin [O'Brien], Aiden [Arnold], and Onix [Ortiz] stepped their game up to the next level, as they just keep getting better.

The women have made a vast improvement over last year. EJ [Schlageter] has been really solid up front with Isa [Leen]. Both have been very dedicated to the mission of improvement. Mia [McLain] and Hannah [Martin] have also been very consistent in our top group. The freshmen trio of Jada [Williams], Ella [Chandler] and Neve [Moulai] have really stepped in and made us better. It is a very exciting environment.
-- head coach Jeff Pigg