Gators Finish 16th, Pascoe an All-American at NCAA Championships

Saturday, November 17

Madison, WI

10 AM

Florida Gators

NCAA Championship

The Gators capped an incredible turnaround with an impressive finish at the NCAA Championships.

Gators Finish 16th, Pascoe an All-American at NCAA Championships

Saturday, November 17, 2018 | Cross Country

By: Corinne Simpson

MADISON, Wis. – The Florida women's cross country team concluded its successful season with a 16th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, once again surprising the field and themselves.

Florida woke up Saturday morning to a fresh blanket of snow covering the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, but that didn't stop them from finishing five spots ahead of the No. 21 ranking they came into the race with.

Junior Jessica Pascoe continued her season-long trend as the Gators' top finisher. Pascoe crossed the finish line in 32nd, earning All-America honors. She becomes the first Florida women's All-American since Agata Strausa in 2013. Her 20:31.7 also puts her at No. 4 in the school record book for 6k times at the NCAA Championships. She also recorded the best individual finish of any Florida women's runner since Rebecca Lowe finished 15th in 2009.

Morgan Hull was the only other Florida runner to post a top-100 finish. The redshirt senior finished second for the Gators at 70th, posting a sub-21 6k time in her final cross country race. Hull ends her career with a record-setting 20:52.1 performance and will leave her name at No. 7 in the top-10 Florida Gators times for 6k at the NCAA Championships.

Elisabeth Bergh, Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell and Imogen Barrett rounded out Florida's scoring efforts. All three finished in the top-200 to secure the 16th-place finish for the team.

A good look at how #Gators women's cross country team reversed fortunes to compete in NCAA Championships this weekend in Wisconsin — https://t.co/fpJHlDPxTH
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) November 16, 2018

The Gators team finish was the third-best in Florida women's cross country history, as only two other teams have recorded top-12 finishes. The 2009 women's team finished seventh and 11th in 2007. The last time the Gators qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2012, the team finished 23rd.

Gators Women- 6k

Place	Runner	Time
32	Jessica Pascoe	20:31.7
70	Morgan Hull	20:52.1
123	Elisabeth Bergh	21:16.3
154	Caitlin McQuilkin-Bell	21:28.4
183	Imogen Barrett	21:44.3
241	Grace Blair	22:42.8
245	Gabrielle Wilkinson	22:49.5

Thoughts from Assistant Coach Chris Solinsky

"Today the University of Florida women's distance program took a big step forward. We just went from 22nd in the region to 16th in the country. We are just scratching the surface of what this group is capable of and I'm very proud of the progress we have made and the work they have put in to get to this point. They embody the Florida Way!"
"There are definitely areas we could have run better and can improve going into the track season and next cross country season."
"Jess really took another step forward in her career earning her first All-American honor, so obviously proud of what she has been able to do in a year. Also very happy with Morgan Hull. She had an amazing day and I am pumped to see what this will translate to for her during the track season."

NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships Information

Women 6k Results
Venue: Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course (University of Wisconsin)
Women: 31 teams, 255 runners
- 1. Colorado (65 points)
- 2. New Mexico (103)
- 3. Oregon (160)
- 16. Florida (455)