Gator XC Runners Jimmy Clark & Carlos Miranda Earn SEC Weekly Awards
Tuesday, September 17, 2013 | Cross Country
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Junior Jimmy Clark and freshman Carlos Miranda represented the No. 22 Gator men's cross country team well in this week's edition of the SEC Cross Country Weekly Awards, released by the league office Tuesday, as Clark was tabbed the SEC Men's Runner of the Week, while Miranda picked up his second SEC Men's Freshman Runner of the Week accolade this season.
Clark and Miranda garnered league recognition after the duo helped lead the UF men's squad to the 2013 Mountain Dew Invitational title Sept. 14, Florida's eighth team title in the last nine years at its home event. Clark cruised to a first-place finish in the men's 8k with a personal-best 23:53.78, the fourth-fastest 8k ever clocked at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
For the second competition in a row, Miranda scored fifth for the Orange & Blue, this time following his first college 8k race. Miranda clocked a 25:10.10 and was the top freshman finisher in a field that included league teams Auburn, Tennessee and LSU. Florida grabbed the team title (33 points), ahead of Auburn (50) and Tennessee (55).
The familiar league foes will embark upon Gainesville once more for the SEC Cross Country Championships, hosted this year by Florida Nov. 1.
JIMMY CLARK | Distance: 8k | Place: 1st of 230 | Time: 23:53.78
· Notched the seventh top-10 finish of his career at Florida and won just his second race ever in his three years competing as a Gator (last, Western Carolina Invite 2012)
· Ran a career‐best mark in the men's 8k (23:53.78), topping his previous best from 2012 Pre Nationals by almost 35 seconds (24:27.40), finishing first in the field of 230 collegiate men's athletes at the Mountain Dew Invite
· Clocked the fourth‐fastest 8k ever run at the Mark Bostick Golf Course
CARLOS MIRANDA | Distance: 8k | Place: 20th of 230 | Time: 25:10.10
· Ran his first collegiate 8k, turning in a mark of 25:10.10
· Scored fifth for the Gators for the second consecutive week as part of the UF scoring corps
· Was the top freshman to cross the finish line at the Mountain Dew Invite and one of just two freshmen among the top‐25 finishers – the only from the SEC
· Helped lead the Florida men's squad to their eighth Mountain Dew Invite title in the past nine years with a score of 33 points, topping three other SEC competitors at the meet and giving UF its second invite title of the season
UP NEXT
The Orange & Blue will enjoy nearly a month-long training period before swinging back into action at the Florida State Invitational in Tallahassee Oct. 11. UF will then head to the ultra-competitive and top-25 saturated Wisconsin adidas Invitational for a solid mid-season test before the championship portion of the 2013 campaign kicks off with SECs in Gainesville Nov. 1. For all info about the Gator cross country squads, stay posted to www.GatorZone.com/crosscountry.
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2013 SEC RUNNERS OF THE WEEK
· September 3, 2013: Agata Strausa, SEC Women's Runner of the Week
· September 3, 2013: Carlos Miranda, SEC Men's Freshman Runner of the Week
· September 17, 2013: Jimmy Clark, SEC Men's Runner of the Week
· September 17, 2013: Carlos Miranda, SEC Men's Freshman Runner of the Week
