Florida Gators
Notre Dame Invitational
Men's Cross Country Defeats Ranked Teams to Place Third
Saturday, October 1, 2005 | Cross Country
The Florida men's cross country team ran one of the best races in recent years to finish third of 25 teams at the 50th Annual Notre Dame Invitational Friday evening. The Gators defeated several ranked teams including No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 14 Michigan and No. 18 Florida State.
Sophomore Henok Lechebo (Toronto, Canada) was Florida's top finisher in ninth place overall, for the fifth top-10 finish of his career. He ran a 5-mile time of 23:53, setting a Florida record for a 5-mile race. The previous record was 23:57.8 set by All-American Mike Bilyeu in 1984. Freshman Jeremy Criscione (Interlachen, Fla.) was the second Gator finisher in 20th place overall with a time of 24:15, putting him ninth on Florida's all-time list. Sophomore Steven Hassen (Ocala, Fla.) and Enoch Nadler (Keystone Heights, Fla.) came in right together in 28th and 29th places overall with times of 24:27. Daniel Parker rounded out the Gator scorers with a time of 24:33.
“The men had the best day in my career coaching cross country,” said Head Coach Jeff Pigg. “The main thing is, the chemistry of this group is amazing. We've got the environment where guys can thrive. They don't care what number they are individually, they just care how the team does. There were five guys together in a pack the whole race. The goal was to run together and work together as a team, and they did that.”
“Henok (Lechebo) was 71st at this race last year and was ninth today. He is a young guy and is just getting better and better. Jeremy Criscione was our second runner and he is a freshman from Interlachen. Steven Hassen from Ocala and Enoch Nadler from Keystone Heights and ran an awesome race today and finished right together. It is great to see these local guys do so well. Three of our top five are from right around Alachua County. Ryder Leary was leading the pack through three miles and fell back a little bit, but he really set things up. Jeremy Miller is a lot better than he has ever been. Daniel Parker was fading but he saw where his team was and just kept running because he couldn't let his team down.
“This is just another step along the way to us being a top 10 team year in and year out. We fully intend to have a strong presence on the track as well. This is a step for our distance program contributing to an NCAA title on the track too.”
The Florida women finished 22nd of 24 teams in the women's 5K race. Sophomore Lindsay Sundell (Northport, N.Y.) was the Gators' top finisher for the second meet in a row with a time of 18:11 in 77th place. Sophomore Kristen Johnson continued as Florida's second finisher, in 95th place with a time of 18:25. Three freshmen rounded out the scoring five for Florida. LeeAnn Nawrocki (Cocoa Beach, Fla) finished 125th with a time of 18:44. Kathryn Kramer (Tampa, Fla.) was 138th with a time of 18:53. Sara Petrick (Apollo Beach, Fla.) ran the 5K race in 19:02 to finish 146th.
“(The race) was a little overwhelming for the freshmen,” said Pigg. “They were a little stunned and didn't get out to the best start. It is hard to prepare for race conditions in a big race like this. They are disappointed. This will make them work harder. These weren't the results we want and now we have a fire lit under us and will do better.”
The women's team will defend their title at the Disney Cross Country Classic next Saturday in Lake Buena Vista at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. The men's team may take a B team to Disney. Otherwise, the next time they will run will be at the Pre-NCAA Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. on October 15.
Top 10 Men's Teams
1. No. 7 Arizona 70
2. No. 6 Notre Dame 104
3. Florida (rv) 121
4. No. 18 Florida State 169
5. No. 1 Wisconsin 174
6. No. 14 Michigan 195
7. Alabama (rv) 197
8. Duke 292
9. Missouri 296
10. No. 26 Colorado St 310
Florida Men's Finishers
9. Henok Lechebo 23:53
20. Jeremy Criscione 24:15
28. Steven Hassen 24:27
29. Enoch Nadler 24:27
35. Daniel Parker 24:33
70. Jeremy Miller 25:09
84. Ryder Leary 25:21
91. Shane Stroup 25:27
174. Al Matheny 26:45
Women's Top 10
1. No. 5 Michigan 77
2. No. 20 Illinois 82
3. No. 3 Notre Dame 91
4. No. 12 Wake Forest 151
5. No. 10 Arkansas 205
6. No. 29 Michigan St 230
7. No. 18 Butler 233
8. Wisconsin 253
9. No. 24 Missouri 271
10. Vanderbilt 300
22. Florida 560
Florida Women's Finishers
77. Lindsay Sundell 18:11
95. Kristen Johnson 18:25
125. LeeAnn Nawrocki 18:44
138. Kathryn Kramer 18:53
146. Sara Petrick 19:02
157. Valeria Rodriguez 19:10
169. Diane Avigne 19:22
178. Kecia Johnson 19:32
198. Charlie Cookerly 20:26
