Florida Gators

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Senior Jessica Pascoe added another individual title to her resume on Friday, as she led the Florida women to a sixth-place finish at the Virginia/Panorama Invitational, while the men finished ninth. The Gators recorded four top-50 finishes in the women's 6k race, in addition to several personal records, while Matt Clark emerged as Florida's top-finisher in the men's 8k race with a personal best performance.
 
The Florida women tallied 157 points to finish sixth overall. No. 11 Michigan State would claim first (42 points), while Yale (98 points) and Kentucky (143 points) followed.
 
On the men's side, the Gators finished ninth with 286 points, as No. 22 Virginia claimed first overall (35 points), followed by Michigan State (82 points) and Charlotte (109 points).
 
Fresh off of a MDI title and SEC Women's Runner of the Week honors, Jessica Pascoe picked up where she left off two weeks ago, notching her second individual title this season with a time of 20:14.5 – 11 seconds faster than the next competitor. Junior Payton Capes-Davis (34^th) also continued to perform strong for the Gators, as she was the second Gator to cross the line with a new personal record of 21:47.2. Elisabeth Bergh and Pamela O'Brien then collected top-50 finishes, placing 40^th and 46^th respectively, as Maria Fernandez rounded out the top-five runners in 52^nd place.

Additionally, O'Brien (22:13.0) and Fernandez (22:25.6) both recorded personal records in the women's 6k, while freshman Emily Culley also notched a personal record with a time of 23:07.5.

Redshirt sophomore Matt Clark clocked in first for the Gators for the first time in his career, placing 55^th with a personal record of 25:22.8 in the men's 8k race. Blake Lowery (59^th) would finish shortly after with a time of 25:26.7, followed by Nick Deal (61^st) with a time of 25:30.3. Jack Guyton (67^th) crossed the finish line next in 25:40.4, while Trevor Foley (86^th) rounded out Florida's top-five runners.
 
Additionally, redshirt junior Marshall Dillon (89^th) crossed the finish line in 26:05.2, while freshman Hugh Brittenham notched a personal record as well with a time of 26:47.6.
 
THOUGHTS ON RACES FROM ASSISTANT COACH CHRIS SOLINSKY:

• "Today we saw Jess take a big step toward some of her goals for the season and year. She executed very well especially having dealt with some sicknesses recently. We dealt with a lot of sickness last week and this week as it has worked it's way through our team. Some people came out of it well and others we are still working to get clear. Considering that, I think the women competed well, as we saw great results from Payton (Capes-Davis), Pamela (O'Brien), and Maria (Fernandez). Once we get Elisabeth (Bergh) and Imogen (Barrett) healthy, we are back in business."
• "The men, we learned today that we need to trust in our fitness. We got caught back early and left a lot of work to do. Training is still going very well, so if we learn from today, I like how we are looking. This is a very capable group and I'm looking forward to the future meets."

Gators Men - 8k

Place	Runner	Time
55	Matt Clark	25:22.8 (PR)
59	Blake Lowery	25:26.7
61	Nick Deal	25:30.3
67	Jack Guyton	25:40.4
86	Trevor Foley	26:02.7
89	Marshall Dillon	26:05.2
113	Colin Schaefer	26:37.7
121	Hugh Brittenham	26:47.6 (PR)

Gators Women - 6k

Place	Runner	Time
1	Jessica Pascoe	20:14.5
34	Payton Capes-Davis	21:47.2
40	Elisabeth Bergh	22:00.0
46	Pamela O'Brien	22:13.0 (PR)
52	Maria Fernandez	22:25.6 (PR)
86	Emily Culley	23:07.5 (PR)
117	Grace Blair	23:58.17

VIRGINIA/PANORAMA FARMS INVITATIONAL INFORMATION:

• Venue: Panorama Farms
• Men: 18 teams, 164 runners
  • 1. No. 22 Virginia, 2. Michigan State, 3. Charlotte
• Women: 16 teams, 153 runners
  • 1. No. 11 Michigan State, 2. Yale, 3. Kentucky

 
UP NEXT:

• Florida will also have runners competing in the UCF Knights Invitational on Friday evening, though, the Gators will compete next at the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee on Fri. Oct. 11.