University of North Florida
Raleigh Relays
PREVIEW: O’Gorman, Franks Ready for Raleigh Relays
3/22/2023 2:00:00 PM | Men's Track
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A pair of Ospreys will travel to up north to compete in the Raleigh Relays at NC State from Mar. 23-24. Distance runners Aidan O'Gorman and Macauley Franks will have a chance to represent the Ospreys on a big stage competing in the 3000m steeplechase and the 10,000m race respectively.
LAST TIME OUT
Franks and O'Gorman had a similar excursion in the 2023 indoor season, as the two made appearances in the David Hemery Invitational hosted by Boston University. They each left the track with a fresh set of records for the mile and 3,000m race. They also rounded out the ASUN Indoor Championship with various accolades as well.
Boston Highlights
- Franks rewrote his personal-best time with a school-record mark set in the indoor mile earlier this season. The Lake Forest Park, Wash., native notched the race in 3:58.56 to place 35th overall at the meet. The graduate transfer outpaced athletes from Penn State, Princeton, Virginia Tech, Boston and Cornell.
- O'Gorman ran the 3000m with the same energy as Franks after eclipsing his lifetime mark at the Boston meet. The New Smyrna Beach, Fla., native recorded a remarkable sub eight-minute performance in the 3k event to overtake the new program record in the mile at 7:55.50 for a top-25 finish.
O'Gorman & Franks ASUN Indoor Recap
- O'Gorman ran 12.5 laps at the ASUN Indoor Championship and clinched a new record in the 5000m.
- The senior broke the ASUN Indoor Championship record in the 3000m as well, punching the clock at 8:06.52.
- Franks clinched a second-place spot on the podium in the men's mile at the ASUN meet with a time of 4:04.44.
NOTABLE OPPONENTS
This week, the UNF duo will compete against Power Five opponents from a plethora of different schools from across the country. Duke, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Michigan State, Florida State will all be in O'Gorman's heat, while Rutgers, Texas A&M and Michigan will be in Franks' heat. Opponents from the ASUN will be represented as well with O'Gorman facing two runners from Central Arkansas in the men's 10,000m race, while Franks will see a pair in his 3000mS race from Lipscomb.
PIGG'S THOUGHTS
"This is a great opportunity for Aidan [O'Gorman]Â and Mac [Franks]. Many of the top distance runners in the nation gather to race with one goal in mind and that is to run fast. The guys are ready and we are very excited to line up in Raleigh."
-- head coach Jeff Pigg
UP NEXT
The North Florida men and women will split forces and compete in the Embry Riddle Spikes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., as well as the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., from Mar. 31-Apr. 1.
Players Mentioned
