The Florida men nab their highest regional ranking this season leading up to SEC Championships.
Florida Men Vault to Sixth in USTFCCCA Regional Rankings
Monday, October 21, 2019 | Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association released the most recent NCAA Division I men's cross country regional rankings on Monday, as the Florida men notched their highest regional ranking of the season thus far, at No. 6 in the South region, after an impressive weekend of competition at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
The ranking is the highest the men have been slotted in the South this year, since sitting at eighth from week 1 (9/16) through week 3 (9/30). The men jumped up four spots, previously placed 10th in the South region, while the Florida women also remain at sixth in the South regional rankings.
At the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Saturday (10/19), hosted by Texas A&M, the Florida men managed to pull out a fourth-place team finish, improving on a 10th place finish at last year's inaugural meet. The men placed four within the top-50 of the men's 8k race, including a top-15 finish from Colin Schaefer (15th) as the Gators' top finisher. Three Gators saw PRs on the day, as redshirt sophomore Matt Clark (24:27.4) and freshman Hugh Brittenham (25:13.5) tallied collegiate-best performances for their fourth consecutive meet this season to finish 30th and 71st respectively. Additionally, sophomore Nick Deal recorded a personal-best time of 24:43.3 in the men's 8k to place 39th out of 226 runners.
The Gators look to continue their progression with two weeks of training, as the team gears up for the 2019 Southeastern Conference Championships, slated for Friday, Nov. 1 in Lexington, Ky.
Florida Men - South Region Rankings:
The ranking is the highest the men have been slotted in the South this year, since sitting at eighth from week 1 (9/16) through week 3 (9/30). The men jumped up four spots, previously placed 10th in the South region, while the Florida women also remain at sixth in the South regional rankings.
At the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Saturday (10/19), hosted by Texas A&M, the Florida men managed to pull out a fourth-place team finish, improving on a 10th place finish at last year's inaugural meet. The men placed four within the top-50 of the men's 8k race, including a top-15 finish from Colin Schaefer (15th) as the Gators' top finisher. Three Gators saw PRs on the day, as redshirt sophomore Matt Clark (24:27.4) and freshman Hugh Brittenham (25:13.5) tallied collegiate-best performances for their fourth consecutive meet this season to finish 30th and 71st respectively. Additionally, sophomore Nick Deal recorded a personal-best time of 24:43.3 in the men's 8k to place 39th out of 226 runners.
The Gators look to continue their progression with two weeks of training, as the team gears up for the 2019 Southeastern Conference Championships, slated for Friday, Nov. 1 in Lexington, Ky.
Florida Men - South Region Rankings:
| Week | Ranking |
| Preseason (Mon., 8/26) | 10 |
| Week 1 (Mon., 9/16) | 8 |
| Week 2 (Mon., 9/23) | 8 |
| Week 3 (Mon., 9/30) | 8 |
| Week 4 (Mon., 10/7) | 10 |
| Week 5 (Mon., 10/21) | 6 |
Players Mentioned
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