Florida Gators
NCAA South Regional Championship
Women's Cross Country Wins NCAA South Regional; Men's Team Takes Fifth
Saturday, November 14, 2009 | Cross Country
The No. 3 University of Florida women's cross country team won the NCAA South Region Championship on Saturday morning, earning an automatic bid to the National Championship on Nov. 23 and rewriting Florida's record book. Redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe (Vaucluse, Australia) won the individual title while the Gators placed five runners in the top 17 and earned six All-South Region honors.
The men's team placed fifth in the regional meet, tallying 143 points, with two runners garnered All-Region accolades. No. 6 Alabama took first while No. 21 Florida State came in second to earn the automatic bids.
The women's win marked the third regional title in the program's history as the Gators won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998. Lowe's individual first-place victory was the fourth in UF record books and the first since Becki Wells won in 1997. The Southeastern Conference Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year won the title in 20:03.29, the fastest time a Gator has ever crossed the finish line in a regional 6K race and the second-fastest 6K time in UF history.
“We wanted to run a controlled tempo and we did just that,” Cross country coach Todd Morgan said. “We were confidence and focused and we are going to bring that into next Monday's meet at the National Championships.”
The Gator women rewrote the NCAA South Region 6K section of the Florida record book as they recorded the top-five times in the history of the program and six of out the top seven. Junior Charlotte Browning (Pulborough, England) came in on her teammate's heels, placing second in the race in 20:12.49, good for third on the all-time 6K list and second on the regional list. Senior Stacey Johnson (Lichfield, England) finished fourth overall (20:28.21) in the fifth-best 6K time in program history, while sophomore Genevieve LaCaze (Daisy Hill, Australia) came in 11th (20:44.83) in the ninth-best 6K time. Senior Julie Northrup (Vero Beach, Fla.) finished out the scoring with a 17th-place finish in 20:54.91, the fifth-best 6K regional time.
“Rebecca and Charlotte were clicking the whole way,” Morgan said. “They were controlled and comfortable. They looked great and they worked so well together. No one really over extended themselves and we will recover quickly and press on as we look toward our next goal.”
Junior Laura Garrow (Port Orange, Fla.) earned her first All-Regional honors, shaving more than one minute off her personal-best time and finishing 21st in 21:01.21, which ranked seventh in UF's 6K regional record book.
“Laura always works tremendously hard,” Morgan said. “Many people don't recognize the improvement we've seen from her during her time at Florida. She has a great work ethic and she's a ferocious competitor. The whole team was just so excited to see her earn All-Region honors and get her well-deserved recognition.”
The women scored 33 points in their victory while No. 9 Florida State came in second with 54 points. The All-South honors were the second for Browning, LaCaze and Lowe and the first for Garrow, Johnson and Northrup.
In the first men's 10K race of the season, all seven runners recorded personal-best times. Senior Justin Taylor (St. Augustine, Fla.) was the top finisher for Florida in 14th place (30:41.59), while junior Anthony Morales (Palm Coast, Fla.) was next in 24th (31:12.41), as they both earned their first All-South Region honors.
“Justin had a good day,” Morgan said. “He really went for it and he almost got himself an automatic individual spot. He finished his last fall as a Gator incredibly strong. Anthony was the turn-around athlete of the year for us. He had solid runs all year; he trained hard all year and was consistent for us.”
Junior James Uthmeier (Destin, Fla.) finished 33rd in 31:32.17, shaving over two minutes off his best time, while senior Matt Hensley was right behind his fellow Gator in 35th (31:38.55). Sophomore Michael Anderson (Williston, Fla.) rounded out Florida's scoring in 42nd (31:55.24).
“The effort was there from our men the entire way through,” Morgan said. “The focus was there too. For the past five weeks, they have put forth maximum effort and strength at every meet. Now it's time to regroup for track and we will get back some of the guys we were missing in the fall and look toward accomplishing our next set of goals.”
The women travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. The NCAA will announce at-large bids, including the two individual spots, on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
Women's NCAA South Region Championship Top-10 Team Results
| Team | Points |
| 1. No. 3 FLORIDA | 33 |
| 2. No. 9 Florida State | 54 |
| 3. No. 29 Tennessee | 102 |
| 4. Georgia | 114 |
| 5. Vanderbilt | 164 |
| 6. Auburn | 197 |
| 7. Alabama | 208 |
| 8. UAB | 297 |
| 9. Jacksonville | 311 |
| 10. Georgia Tech | 323 |
Women's South Region Individual Champion
| Rebecca Lowe | Florida | 20:03.29 |
Florida Women Finishers
| 1. Rebecca Lowe | 20:03.29^* |
| 2. Charlotte Browning | 20:12.49^* |
| 4. Stacey Johnson | 20:28.21^* |
| 11. Genevieve LaCaze | 20:44.83^* |
| 17. Julie Northrup | 20:54.91^* |
| 21. Laura Garrow | 21:01.21^* |
| 59. Ali Crabb | 22:05.53 |
| ^ - All-South Honors | * - personal-best time |
Men's NCAA South Region Championship Top-10 Team Results
| Team | Points |
| 1. No. 6 Alabama | 45 |
| 2. No. 21 Florida State | 80 |
| 3. 25 Auburn | 100 |
| 4. Georgia | 125 |
| 5. FLORIDA | 143 |
| 6. Tennessee | 178 |
| 7. South Alabama | 180 |
| 8. Kennesaw State | 283 |
| 9. Mississippi State | 298 |
| 10. Belmont | 303 |
Men's South Region Champion
| Felix Kibioywo | Auburn | 29:35.85 |
Florida Men Finishers
| 14. Justin Taylor | 30:41.59^* |
| 24. Anthony Morales | 31:12.41^* |
| 33. James Uthmeier | 31:32.17* |
| 35. Matt Henlsey | 31:38.55* |
| 42. Michael Anderson | 31:55.24* |
| 51. Aaron Kindt | 32:20.57* |
| 53. Josh Izewski | 32:21.26* |
| ^ - All-South Honors | * - personal-best time |
