Gators Women’s Cross Country Voted Preseason USTFCCCA NCAA Division I No. 9
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 | Cross Country
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Just a day after being ranked No. 1 in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Florida Gators women's cross country team was selected to finish ninth in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches' Poll.
Since its introduction in 1995, the Gators women's team has been ranked in the preseason poll a total of nine times, the most recent occurring in 2013 when they were ranked twenty-third. This year's ninth place ranking is the team's highest in the preseason since 2010 when it was ranked eighth.
PRESEASON RANKINGS OVER THE YEARS
Despite not competing at the NCAAA Championships as a team in 2022, with the existing experience within the program as well as the addition of transfers, the Gators look ahead to a strong 2023 campaign.
The only Gator to compete at NCAA Championships in 2022 was Parker Valby. The 2022 SEC Cross Country Women's Runner of the Year finished second out of 253 runners. The Gators added three additional top-40 NCAA Championships runners via the transfer portal in Flomena Asekol, Amelia Mazza-Downie and Elise Thorner.
Asekol finished 14th at the meet, Mazza-Downie finished 22nd and Thorner finished 40th. Asekol contributed to a third-place finish by Alabama while Mazza-Downie and Thorner were part of a second place New Mexico finish.
2023 USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION I CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL COACHES' POLL
UPCOMING ACTION
The Gators begin their season Friday, September 15 at the Mountain Dew Invitational, hosted by the Gators. The 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships are set to take place on Saturday, November 18 in Charlottesville, Virginia. See the entire schedule for the 2023 Cross Country season below.
2023 FLORIDA CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
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Since its introduction in 1995, the Gators women's team has been ranked in the preseason poll a total of nine times, the most recent occurring in 2013 when they were ranked twenty-third. This year's ninth place ranking is the team's highest in the preseason since 2010 when it was ranked eighth.
PRESEASON RANKINGS OVER THE YEARS
| Year | Ranking |
| 2013 | 23 |
| 2011 | 26 |
| 2010 | 8 |
| 2007 | 24 |
| 1999 | 24 |
| 1998 | 17 |
| 1997 | 17 |
| 1996 | 17 |
| 1995 | 17 |
Despite not competing at the NCAAA Championships as a team in 2022, with the existing experience within the program as well as the addition of transfers, the Gators look ahead to a strong 2023 campaign.
The only Gator to compete at NCAA Championships in 2022 was Parker Valby. The 2022 SEC Cross Country Women's Runner of the Year finished second out of 253 runners. The Gators added three additional top-40 NCAA Championships runners via the transfer portal in Flomena Asekol, Amelia Mazza-Downie and Elise Thorner.
Asekol finished 14th at the meet, Mazza-Downie finished 22nd and Thorner finished 40th. Asekol contributed to a third-place finish by Alabama while Mazza-Downie and Thorner were part of a second place New Mexico finish.
2023 USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION I CROSS COUNTRY NATIONAL COACHES' POLL
| Rank | Team | Points | Region | Conference | 2022 Final |
| 1 | NC State | 329 | Southeast (1) | ACC | 1 |
| 2 | Northern Arizona | 315 | Mountain (1) | Big Sky | 6 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | 300 | Midwest (1) | Big 12 | 4 |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 273 | Great lakes (1) | ACC | 7 |
| 5 | Colorado | 269 | Mountain (2) | Pac-12 | 11 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 266 | Southeast (2) | ACC | 5 |
| 7 | BYU | 257 | Mountain (3) | Big 12 | 8 |
| 8 | Stanford | 242 | West (1) | Pac-12 | 13 |
| 9 | Florida | 235 | South (2) | SEC | -- |
| 10 | Oregon | 233 | West (2) | Pac-12 | 14 |
| T11 | Georgetown | 220 | Mid-Atlantic (1) | Big East | 10 |
| T11 | Virginia | 220 | Southeast (3) | ACC | 9 |
| 13 | Alabama | 205 | South (1) | SEC | 3 |
| 13 | Providence | 193 | Northeast (1) | Big East | 16 |
| 14 | Washington | 185 | West (3) | Pac-12 | 17 |
| 15 | Ohio State | 182 | Great Lakes (2) | Big Ten | 15 |
| 16 | Michigan State | 134 | Great Lakes (3) | Big Ten | 20 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 122 | Great Lakes (4) | Big Ten | 19 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 121 | South Central (1) | SEC | 21 |
| 19 | Oregon State | 118 | West (4) | Pac-12 | 24 |
| 20 | New Mexico | 112 | Mountain (4) | Mountain West | 2 |
| 21 | Utah | 79 | Mountain (6) | Pac-12 | 12 |
| 22 | Florida State | 73 | South (3) | ACC | 18 |
| 23 | California Baptist | 68 | West (5) | WAC | 29 |
| 24 | Michigan | 67 | Great Lakes (5) | Big Ten | 22 |
| 25 | Colorado State | 56 | Mountain (5) | Mountain West | 25 |
| 26 | Iowa State | 55 | Midwest (2) | Big 12 | -- |
| 27 | Toledo | 48 | Great Lakes (6) | Mid-American | 28 |
| 28 | West Virginia | 44 | Mid-Atlantic (2) | Big 12 | 27 |
| T30 | Furman | 19 | Southeast (5) | SoCon | -- |
| T30 | Syracuse | 19 | Northeast (4) | ACC | 23 |
UPCOMING ACTION
The Gators begin their season Friday, September 15 at the Mountain Dew Invitational, hosted by the Gators. The 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships are set to take place on Saturday, November 18 in Charlottesville, Virginia. See the entire schedule for the 2023 Cross Country season below.
2023 FLORIDA CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
| Date | Meet | Location |
| 9/15 | Mountain Dew Invitational | Gainesville, Florida |
| 9/29 | FSU Invitational | Tallahassee, Florida |
| 10/13 | Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational | Madison, Wisconsin |
| 10/27 | SEC Championships | Columbia, South Carolina |
| 11/10 | NCAA South Regional | Gainesville, Florida |
| 11/18 | NCAA Championships | Charlottesville, Virginia |
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Players Mentioned
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/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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