UF XC: Colleges Converge on Gainesville as Gators Host NCAA Cross Country South Regional

Colleges Converge on Gainesville as Gators Host NCAA Cross Country South Regional
The University of Florida hosts a NCAA Cross Country South Regional for the first time since 2007.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A path to the NCAA Cross Country Championships runs through Gainesville. The Florida Gators Cross Country program and the University of Florida will welcome colleges in the USTFCCCA South Region to Mark Bostick Golf Course on Friday, November 10 for the NCAA Cross Country South Regional Championships.

The South Regional is the next step on an already successful 2023 postseason for the Gators as just two weeks ago in Columbia, South Carolina the women’s team was crowned the SEC Cross Country Champions and the men’s team improved three places from their 2022 placement.

The women’s championship marked the program’s seventh conference title and first since 2012, the 46th consecutive season in which Florida Athletics has picked up at least one SEC team title, and the 262nd total SEC title for the University of Florida.

On Friday, the Women’s 6k Championship will commence first and will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Men’s 10k Championship is set to start at 9:30 a.m. ET.

GATORS IN 2022 SOUTH REGIONAL

The women recorded a 7th place finish in 2022 behind a first place finish by Parker Valby. Lucinda Rourke, who is part of the Gators entry list, also participated in 2022 and is eligible to participate in her second South Regional in as many years.

Last year, the men finished 19th. Javi Vento and Aiden Villasuso are entered to make their second NCAA South Regional after participating in their first collegiate 10k in the 2022 South Regional.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATIONS

In order to reach the 2023 NCAA Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, November 18 in Charlottesville, Virginia, a team must place in the top two in their respective region. With nine regions spread across the United States, the automatic qualifiers make up 18 of the 31 teams in the field. The final 13 spots will be filled by the NCAA Division I Cross Country Subcommittee as they will select 13 at-large teams to fill the field.

USTFCCCA ALL-REGION QUALIFICATIONS

USTFCCCA All-Region status will be awarded to the top twenty-five finishers from each race and the official list of honorees will be announced on Monday, November 13.

POTENTIAL GATOR PARTICIPANTS
Gators participating in the NCAA South Regional are subject to change.

Women

Men

Flomena Asekol

Michael Fiore

Sayla Donnelley

Ethan Geiger

Amelia Mazza-Downie

Parvej Khan

Lucinda Rourke

Adam Magoulas

Elise Thorner

Matthew Stratton

Parker Valby

Javi Vento

Allison Wilson

Aiden Villasuso

Liina Winborn

Joe Wester

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The Women’s 6k Championship will consist of thirty colleges while the Men’s 10k Championship will have twenty-five competing teams.

Some colleges will have individual representatives running in the respective races. Listed below are the teams that will have a full-scoring roster participating.

Women

Men

Alabama

Auburn

Austin Peay

Belmont

Chatanooga

Chattanooga

East Tennessee State

FIU

Florida

Florida Atlantic