University of North Florida
ASUN Championships
Cross Country Ready to Roll at ASUN Championships
10/31/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida cross country takes on its postseason run starting with the ASUN XC Championships being held on Friday, Nov. 1, at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
The men's squad have their sights set on its first ASUN title since the fall of 2021, while the women are looking for the first since 2017. Last season's second-place men's team returns six runners, while the women are on the trajectory to improve its standing in the championship race for a third straight season after placing fourth in 2023.
Robert Pedroza, Cole Perry, Ilias El Khattabi, Paul Lespasio and Smilla Kolbe all earned All-ASUN recognition from last season's title race. Seth Martinez joins Pedroza, while Isa Leen joins Kolbe to be the leaders of the pack for the Ospreys heading into this season's edition of the ASUN Championship race.
The women's team will start the race at 8 a.m., followed by the men's team with a start time of 8:45 a.m. Live timing can be followed on Half-Mile Timing, as well as updates on X/Twitter at @OspreyXCTF and Instagram at @OspreysTrack.
MEN
- Robert Pedroza
- Onix Ortiz Vazquez
- Gavin O'Brien
- Cole Perry
- Ilias El Khattabi
- Paul Lespasio
- Sebastian Hernandez
- Aaron Schimke
- Seth Martinez
WOMEN
- Smilla Kolbe
- Ella Chandler
- Ines Arqued
- Ana Markovina
- Isa Leen
- Emma Millson
- Annika Buser
- Cohen Kooker
- Melissa Bentayeb
- Madeline Castillo
"We enter the ASUN Championships with good momentum. Both squads have been working hard and seeing progress in our workouts, as we build to the championship phase of the season. We are healthy, fit and very excited for the opportunity to lineup against fellow ASUN teams and see how we stack up.-- head coach Jeff Pigg
Seniors Robert Pedroza, Onix Ortiz Vazquez and Gavin O'Brien have provided great leadership throughout the year and it is nice to lean on these veterans as we go into big meets. Cole Perry, Ilias El Khattabi and Paul Lespasio ran very well last year at the ASUN race and look to do even better this year. Sebastian Hernandez and Aaron Schimke have made big improvements this year and are really coming into their own this year. Seth Martinez has been able to follow up his 10,000m ASUN win last spring in outdoor track with a very good XC season and we will be looking to him for another great race. The last year for Smilla Kolbe has been tremendous and she is at a very high level of fitness rolling into the race. She has had a great fall and is very excited to race. Ella Chandler and Ines Arqued have also had very good middle distance-based fall training and are very prepared for the challenge. Ana Markovina, Isa Leen and Emma Millson all had very productive ASUN races last year and will lean on that experience with another year of training under their belts to propel them to strong races this Friday. Annika Buser has made great progress since last year and has been a consistent top-seven runner this year. Freshman Cohen Kooker, Melissa Bentayeb and Madeline Castillo have gained some excellent collegiate experience this fall and will look to make an immediate impact in the ASUN meet as well."
UPCOMING CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
