University of North Florida
Mountain Dew Invitational
Cross Country Opens Season at Mountain Dew Invitational
9/14/2023 12:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After having its home opener canceled due to inclement weather stemming from Hurricane Idalia, North Florida cross country begins its season at the Mountain Dew Invitational hosted by Florida on Friday, Sept. 15, in Gainesville, Fla. The men's team will make their first strides at 7:40 a.m., while the women finish off the contest at 8:20 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Men
The men and women wrapped up the 2022 ASUN Championship with a pair of top-five rankings. Aidan O'Gorman was named ASUN Men's XC Runner of the Week following Missouri's Gans Creek Classic.The senior clinched a personal-best 8k with a time of 23:51.1 earning eighth overall among 231 runners. He rounded out the season smashing UNF's 8k record and set a personal-best time of 30:06.9 in the 10k at the NCAA South Regional meet. Last season, Timothy Doyle earned a career-best placement in the UNF Invitational leading in seventh overall. Doyle also earned a lifetime-best mark at the ASUN Championship in the 8k. Robert Pedroza finished inside the top 25 for three consecutive meets and earned a lifetime mark of 24:15.1 in the 8k and 31:00.1 at the NCAA South Regional meet. The Osprey men finished top 10 in all five meets of the season.
Women
The 2022 season worked in the favor of the Osprey women. The women's team secured a top-five finish at the ASUN Championship. Emma Jane Schlageter was the lead runner in the UNF Invitational, Missouri Gans Creek Classic and ASUN Championship. Schlageter recorded a new personal-best mark of 17:39.1 in the 5k race at the ASUN Championship and placed in the top 100 at the NCAA South Regional meet. Isa Leen clinched the top spot for the two remaining meets and earned the top spot for the Ospreys in the 2022 NCAA South Regional meet. Leen also earned a career-best finish at 10th overall in the UNF Invitational. Mia McLain set a new 6k time of 21:45.2 at the Alabama Crimson Classic. She significantly improved her 5k time from last season by roughly two minutes, setting a new personal mark of 14:48.4. Ella Chandler was the top freshman at the NCAA South Regional meet. Jada Williams recorded a season-best time in the 5k at the ASUN Championship where she finished 41st overall.
MAKING STRIDES
The Ospreys will be headlined by Robert Pedroza, Gavin O'Brien, Aiden Arnold and Onix Ortiz Vazquez entering the 8k race in Gainesville. Luke Clements, Ryan Douihech and Cole Perry looks to make the next step as sophomores, while William Sinclair is set to make his UNF debut at UF.On the women's side, Emma Jane O'Gorman and Isa Leen will be the names to watch, while Billie Castillo, Erica Fisher, Gianna Forte, Hannah Martin and Emma Millson all bring back veteran experience. Erica Fisher, Laci Watford and Jada Williams look to impress again after stellar freshman seasons to go along with Annika Buser, Ana Markovina and Mary Pace-Balzan's debuts as well.
NOTABLE OPPONENTS
The Ospreys will compete against a plethora of high-ranked competitors, including in-state school, Florida. The Gators have notable runners such as All-American Parker Valby. Valby notched a finalist spot for the 2023 Cross Country Honda Sport Award. Valby was also named the SEC Women's Individual Champion and the NCAA South Regional Individual Champion.Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt joins UF as Power Five institutions in Gainesville, along with Chattanooga, FIU, FAU and USF as prominent teams at the meet. They will also get a look at Stetson and FGCU, who are a couple of ASUN competitors, before the ASUN Championship meet next month.
EVENT SCHEDULE
The men's 8k race starts at 7:40 a.m., with the women's 3-mile race following right afterwards at 8:20 a.m.
PIGG'S POINTS
"The Mountain Dew meet is always a good early season opportunity. It has a wide range of competitors. It is the site of our South Region Cross Country Championships so it will be good to race on the course. Our women have been working hard with plans to elevate our performance this season. We have a talented group of women with sights set high. The men are coming together nicely as well. Our junior class has been focused on this season for a couple of years. They have been following a long term plan that should yield a new level of success in cross country and track. We will hold out a couple of our best guys and one has been out sick, but the rest are ready to roll. I'm really excited to see where this season takes us!"
- head coach Jeff Pigg
UP NEXT
After the meet on Friday, North Florida cross country will prepare for the next two weeks to compete in the Gans Creek Classic hosted by Missouri on Friday, Sept. 29, in Columbia, Mo.
Players Mentioned
