Florida Gators
Florida State Invitational
Cross Country Teams Record Top-Five Finishes at FSU Invitational
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | Cross Country
The University of Florida men's and women's cross country teams recorded strong finishes at the FSU Invitational on Saturday morning as the men took second place and the women finished fourth.
The Gators sent 11 runners to Tallahassee, many who have battled sickness since the beginning of the season, and came out with two top-five finishes as they take another step in the right direction while preparing for postseason races.
The men tallied 69 points, finishing second to Stephen F. Austin, who recorded 24 total points. The Gators were led by sophomore Michael Anderson (Williston, Fla.), who placed fifth overall on the 8K course in a time of 25:33.32.
“I am happy with the effort and results of the five runners,” Cross country coach Todd Morgan said. “Michael Anderson took a big step forward, coming back from being sick to finish well. Overall, it was a positive on the men's side and a big step in the right direction to get the men back on track.”
Sophomore Alex Wills (Orlando, Fla.) also tallied a top-10 finish, coming in right behind his teammates in sixth, setting a personal-best time of 25:40.31. Sophomore Geoffrey Anderson turned in a 14th-place finish (26:16.78) while senior Carlos Phillips (Winter Park, Fla.) and freshman John Mitchell (Valrico, Fla.) placed 29th and 37th, respectively as Mitchell improved his personal-best time (28:10.65).
“Alex and Geoff had their best runs of the season,” Morgan said. “And our 800m runners – Carlos and John – worked hard and put in a great effort. It's a long run for them and they did well.”
The women, ranked ninth in the nation, recorded 81 points for a fourth-place finish in the 5K race. SFA's women also took first with 40 points on the women's side. Junior Ali Crabb (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and freshman Sydney Devore (Lakeland, Fla.) tallied top-10 finishes as Crabb took fourth and Devore finished sixth with a personal-best time of 18:17.30. The freshman has run in all three races of 2009 and improved her time in each one.
“The women competed hard and ran well,” Morgan said. “Ali, after suffering from illness, is getting back to where she worked to hard to get to last year and to the level she expects to be at. It is a huge step for us in preparing for Regionals and Nationals. Sydney went after it and really improved. She ran up front with Ali and pushed herself to finish well with a good personal best.”
Freshman Mandy Perkins (Ormond Beach, Fla.) finished 14th (18:40.44), running in her first collegiate meet.
“Mandy had a solid opening run,” Morgan said. “She has also been battling sickness from the start of school and she went out and turned in a strong performance.”
Redshirt junior Alison Babb (Gainesville, Fla.) finished 14th overall (19:14.41) while freshman Callie Cooper (St. Augustine, Fla.) recorded a personal-best time of 19:44.10 time to finish 32nd. Classmate Erica Taltos (Lake Mary, Fla.) was the sixth Gator to cross the finish line in 20:15.31 for a 39th-place finish.
The Gators compete again next week when they travel to Terre Haute, Ind., to run against the top teams in the national at the Pre-NCAA Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 17. The men will run the 8K at either 11 or 11:40 a.m. while the women will run their first 6K race at either 12:20 or 12:55 p.m., as both fields will be divided into two races. Times will be posted later in the week.
Men's Results
| Team | Points |
| 1. Stephen F. Austin | 24 |
| 2. Florida | 69 |
| 3. North Florida | 72 |
| 4. No. 28 Florida State | 84 |
| 5. Tampa | 112 |
| 6. Florida A&M | 159 |
Men's Top Finisher
| Mitch Ownbey | Stephen F. Austin | 24:50.85 |
Florida Men's Results
| 5. Michael Anderson | 25:33.32 |
| 6. Alex Wills | 25:40.21* |
| 14. Geoffrey Anderson | 26:16.78 |
| 29. Carlos Phillips | 27:39.19* |
| 37. John Mitchell | 28:10.65* |
| * - personal-best time |
Women's Results
| Team | Points |
| 1. Stephen F. Austin | 40 |
| 2. No. 11 Florida State | 50 |
| 3. Tampa | 76 |
| 4. No. 9 Florida | 81 |
| 5. North Florida | 92 |
| 6. Augusta State | 179 |
| 7. Florida A&M | 220 |
Women's Top Finisher
| Jennifer Dunn | Florida State | 17:41.43 |
Florida Women's Results
| 4. Ali Crabb | 17:54.15 |
| 6. Sydney Devore | 18:17.30* |
| 14. Mandy Perkins | 18:40.44* |
| 26. Alison Babb | 19:14.41 |
| 32. Callie Cooper | 19:44.10* |
| 30. Erica Taltos | 20:15.31 |
| * - personal-best time |
