Cross Country Women Earn Number Two Spot in Preseason Rankings; Men Take Number Four
Monday, September 15, 2008 | Cross Country
The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ranked the University of Florida second in the Division I South Region Cross Country Preseason Poll. The Gator men were ranked fourth.
Florida State earned the top bid in the women's bracket, followed by Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Alabama. Six Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top 10. The women were also picked by the coaches to finish second in the conference on Sept. 10.
Alabama ranked number one on the men's side, followed by Auburn, Florida State, Florida and Belmont. Seven SEC men's teams ranked in the top 15. The Gators were also picked to finish fourth in the SEC Coaches' poll last week.
The Gator women are returning five runners who led UF to an 11th-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championship, the highest finish in program history. Jacy Kruzel (Cooper City, Fla.) returns for her senior season after being the number-one finisher for the Gators in four meets in 2007, including the SEC and NCAA Championships. Kruzel earned an All-SEC nod for her eighth-place finish, along with sophomore Rebecca Lowe (Vaucluse, Australia), who placed 12th. Lowe and senior Sara Petrick (Apollo Beach, Fla.) also were named All-South Regional for their respective 12th- and 23rd-place finishes at the NCAA South Regional meet. Senior Kathryn Kramer (Tampa, Fla.) earned All-South honors in 2006, along with Kruzel. Lowe is also coming off a stellar track season in which she earned All-America status for placing fifth in the 5,000m event at the NCAA Championships and was named 2008 SEC Freshman Runner of the Year.
The Florida men finished second at the SEC Championship in 2007 for a bid to the South Regional, where they placed third. Senior Jeremy Criscione (Interlachen, Fla.) returns for another season after he represented the Gator men at the 2007 NCAA Championship with a 99th-place finish. He earned All-SEC honors in 2006 and 2007 and All-South Regional honors in 2005 and 2007. Junior Sean Blaney (Kissimmee, Fla.) will also be back after a breakout season. Blaney consistently finished in UF's top three and finished second for the Gators at the SEC and South Regional Championships in 2007, earning both All-SEC and All-South honors.
UF opens its season on Saturday, Sept. 20 with the 20th Annual Mountain Dew Invitational on the UF Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla. Both the men's and women's teams have won the invitational for the past two seasons. The women's collegiate 5K race starts at 8 a.m. followed by the men's 8K at 8:30 a.m.
The USTFCCCA National Poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Division I Men's and Women's South Region Cross Country Rankings - Preseason
Sept. 15, 2008
| South Men | South Women |
| 1. Alabama | 1. Florida State |
| 2. Auburn | 2. Florida |
| 3. Florida State | 3. Tennessee |
| 4. Florida | 4. Vanderbilt |
| 5. Belmont | 5. Alabama |
| 6. Tennessee | 6. Georgia |
| 7. Mississippi State | 7. UAB |
| 8. Georgia | 8. Auburn |
| 9. Georgia State | 9. Jacksonville |
| 10. Georgia Tech | 10. Georgia State |
| 11. Middle Tennessee State | 11. Belmont |
| 12. Vanderbilt | 12. Georgia Tech |
| 13. East Tennessee State | 13. Chattanooga |
| 14. Chattanooga | 14. Florida Atlantic |
| 15. Mississippi | 15. Central Florida |
