Women's Cross Country Ranked Ninth in Nation
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 | Cross Country
The University of Florida women's cross country team received the No. 9 ranking in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll on Tuesday after a third-place finish at the highly-competitive Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 2.
The ninth-place spot marked the first time the Gators women's team cracked the top 10, dating back to 1997. They moved up six spots from the No. 15 spot, collected 260 points. Defending National Champion Washington continued to hold the top spot with 360 votes and all 12 first-place votes.
The Gators also garnered the top spot in the South Region poll, jumping ahead of in-state rival Florida State, who held the post all of the 2008 season and the first weeks of the '09 campaign.
At the Notre Dame Invitational, UF finished ahead of seven other nationally-ranked teams, including three that were previously ranked higher than the Gators. The Seminoles, who finished seventh, dropped from third to 11th, while Arizona State (5th) went from 13th to 17th and Providence (T8th) fell from No. 6 to No. 25.
The Gators race again on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the FSU Invitational. The men's 8K race will begin at 7:50 a.m. while the women will run the 5K at 8:15 a.m.
