Florida Gators
Notre Dame Invitational
No. 15 Women's Cross Country Takes Third at Notre Dame Invitational; Men Place 17th
Saturday, October 3, 2009 | Cross Country
The No. 15 University of Florida women's cross country team finished third at the Notre Dame Invitational, placing ahead of seven other nationally-ranked teams, including three ranked higher, with 104 points. The men finished in 17th place with a total of 386 points.
The only two teams to finish ahead of the Gator women were No. 1 Washington in first with 33 points and No. 6 Princeton in second with 68 points.
“This was a great start to the competitive racing season for the women,” Cross country coach Todd Morgan said. “We came here to compete and we were ready to go. The women put out a great effort and they were rewarded.”
Senior Stacey Johnson (Lichfield, England) made her Orange and Blue debut with a sixth-place finish in the 5K race in a time of 16:41, the fourth-best time in Florida record books. Junior Charlotte Browning (Pulborough, England) was the second Gator to cross the finish line in the top 10, placing ninth overall and also breaking the 17-minute mark. Her new personal-best time of 16:59 ranks eighth in UF history.
“It was a great debut for Stacey Johnson,” Morgan said. “She couldn't wait to run and she was ready to go. Charlotte Browning had a phenomenal run as well. Her effort has been outstanding.”
Redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe (Vaucluse, Australia) took to the course for the first time since 2007 and made her mark, finishing 22nd overall in a time of 17:11. She was followed by sophomore Genevieve LaCaze (Daisy Hill, Australia) in 26th in 17:18. The final Gator to score was senior Julie Northrup (Vero Beach, Fla.) in 41st, eclipsing her personal-best mark by nearly 20 seconds (17:27).
“It was great to have Rebecca back,” Morgan said. “Genevieve put in another great run as she is a very consistent competitor for us. And Julie Northrup had a breakthrough performance in a highly-competitive field. I know there are great things to come from our women's team.”
On the men's side, No. 22 Washington also took first place with 113 points, followed by No. 15 Providence (119 points) and No. 24 New Mexico (151 points).
Junior Anthony Morales (Palm Coast, Fla.) was the top finisher for the Gators, coming in 38th in 24:30 in his first five-mile race. Senior Justin Taylor (St. Augustine, Fla.) placed 77th (25:03) while classmate Aaron Kindt (Orlando, Fla.) came in 87th (25:09). Freshman Derek Wehunt (Odessa, Fla.) followed right behind in 89th (25:12) in his first competitive collegiate race and junior James Uthmeier (Destin, Fla.) finished off the UF scoring with a 95th-place finish (25:16).
“For the men, we need to come back to Gainesville, regroup and get to work,” Morgan said. “We are really looking to establish ourselves and that is going to take a lot of hard work and effort. I know our guys are up for it.”
The Gators take to the course again on Saturday, Oct. 10 when they travel to nearby Tallahassee, Fla., to run in the FSU Invitational. The men's 8K will begin at 7:50 a.m. and the women's 5K at 8:30 a.m.
Women's Top-10 Team Results
| Team | Points |
| 1. No. 1 Washington | 33 |
| 2. No. 6 Princeton | 68 |
| 3. No. 15 Florida | 104 |
| 4. No. 22 Penn State | 152 |
| 5. No. 13 Arizona State | 170 |
| 6. No. 25 New Mexico | 178 |
| 7. No. 3 Florida State | 179 |
| 8. SMU | 218 |
| 8. No. 6 Providence | 218 |
| 10. No. 24 Notre Dame | 288 |
Women's Top Finisher
| Kendra Schaaf | Washington | 16:31 |
Women's Florida Finishers
| 6. Stacey Johnson | 16:41* |
| 9. Charlotte Browning | 16:59* |
| 22. Rebecca Lowe | 17:11 |
| 26. Genevieve LaCaze | 17:18 |
| 41. Julie Northrup | 17:27* |
| 65. Kaitlin Shiver | 17:40 |
| 99. Laura Garrow | 18:09* |
| 112. Ali Crabb | 18:20 |
| 132. Sydney Devore | 18:36* |
| * - personal-best times |
Men's Top-10 Team & Florida's Results
| Team | Points |
| 1. No. 22 Washington | 113 |
| 2. No. 15 Providence | 119 |
| 3. No. 24 New Mexico | 151 |
| 3. No. 20 Butler | 151 |
| 5. Arizona State | 158 |
| 6. No. 26 Florida State | 187 |
| 7. No. 11 Tulsa | 232 |
| 8. Southern Illinois | 236 |
| 9. Utah State | 256 |
| 10. No. 30 Princeton | 262 |
| 17. Florida | 386 |
Men's Top Finisher
| Jacob Kirwa | New Mexico | 23:44 |
Men's Florida Finishers
| 38. Anthony Morales | 24:30* |
| 77. Justin Taylor | 25:03 |
| 87. Aaron Kindt | 25:09 |
| 89. Derek Wehunt | 25:12* |
| 95. James Uthmeier | 25:16* |
| 115. Josh Izewski | 25:33* |
| 125. Matt Hensley | 25:40 |
| 134. Michael Anderson | 25:56* |
| * - personal-best times |
