Florida Gators
NCAA Championship
Florida Women's Cross Country Places Seventh at National Championships
Monday, November 23, 2009 | Cross Country
Fifth-ranked University of Florida women's cross country team recorded a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships on Monday afternoon, the highest finish in program history. As the only Southeastern Conference team competing the 2009 Nationals, the Gators marked the highest finish since Arkansas claimed fifth in 2006.
The top-10 finish was the first in program history and the best place since UF came in 11th in 2007. All five scorers finished in the top 90 in team competition in a field of over 250 runners and five Gators recorded times ranked on Florida's NCAA Championships 6K top-10 times list.
“I am extremely proud of Coach [Todd] Morgan and the cross country team,” Head track & field and cross country coach Mike Holloway said. “They brought the first national top-10 finish to Florida and it was wonderful to see. Their whole season was exciting to watch. Coach Morgan did a tremendous job. I am so pleased with the direction the cross country program is headed in. He executes in a first-class manner and this team has been a joy to watch and be around.”
The Gators collected 260 points in their finish. No. 2 Villanova took home the National Championship trophy with 86 points while No. 8 Florida State came in second with 133 points. No. 1 Washington came in third with 188 points.
“We've had a tremendous year,” Cross country Todd Morgan said. “We won the SEC and the South Regional Championships and today, we finished top 10 in the country for the first time. We're definitely leaving here feeling like we didn't run totally on all cylinders, which is a great thing, because we still finished so well.”
Redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe (Vaucluse, Australia) and junior Charlotte Browning (Pulborough, England) led the way for the Gators with top-20 team finishes, collecting UF's first All-American honors since 1995. Lowe placed 15th overall, the best finish since Becki Well's 12th-place finish in 1995, clocking in at 20:18.8, recording the best time NCAA Championship 6K time in UF history. Browning crossed the finish line in 21st, 19th against other runners competing for the team title, in 20:25.7, the second-best time. Lowe and Browning became the sixth and seventh Gators to earn the women's cross country program's eighth and ninth All-America honors.
“Phenomenal finishes by Rebecca Lowe and Charlotte Browning,” Morgan said. “They brought home the first All-American finishes in over 10 years, which is so great for our program. Both them ran at high levels all year for us.”
Senior Stacey Johnson (Lichfield, England) was the next Gator to finish, placing 74th overall in 21:08.1, the fourth-fastest championship time in UF history. She was followed by sophomore Genevieve LaCaze in 96th place (21:16.1). Senior Julie Northrup (Vero Beach, Fla.) finished her Florida cross country career with her an 88th-place finish among team competitors and 107th overall, in 21:21.1, the sixth-best NCAA championship 6K time.
“Julie Northrup finished her career on a high note,” Morgan said. “She made such great improvement in her years at UF and she went out on top. We are all so proud of her.”
Junior Laura Garrow (Port Orange, Fla.) had a strong day for the Gators, finishing 152nd in 21:41.1, 10th-best time on the championship times list. Junior Kaitlin Shiver (Satellite Beach, Fla.) was the final Gator to cross the finish line, coming in 209th (22:10.9).
The Gators ended one of their strongest seasons to date, winning the SEC title and the NCAA South Region title, while rewriting much the Florida record book. Five Gators took home All-SEC honors while six earned All-South Region accolades. Lowe earned SEC and USTFCCCA South Region Female Athlete of the Year honors and Morgan took home SEC and USTFCCA South Region Women's Coach of the Year awards.
“I am really proud of these girls,” Morgan said. “We are going to rest up and then get into with the track team. The track program has some big goals as well. Coach Holloway and I are really excited about the program and its future.”
Women's NCAA Championships Top-10 Results
| 1. Villanova | 86 |
| 2. Florida State | 133 |
| 3. Washington | 188 |
| 4. Texas Tech | 191 |
| 5. Princeton | 251 |
| 6. West Virginia | 259 |
| 7. FLORIDA | 260 |
| 8. Duke | 272 |
| 9. Oregon | 276 |
| 10. Minnesota | 310 |
Women's NCAA Champion
| Angela Bizzarri | Illinois | 19:46.8 |
Florida Finishers
| 15. Rebecca Lowe | 20:18.8^! |
| 21. Charlotte Browning | 20:25.7^! |
| 74. Stacey Johnson | 21:08.1! |
| 96. Genevieve LaCaze | 21:16.1 |
| 107. Julie Northrup | 21:21.1! |
| 152. Laura Garrow | 21:41.1! |
| 209. Kaitlin Shiver | 22:10.9 |
| ^ - All-American | ! – UF Top-10 6K Championship Time |
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