The women totaled 38 points, courtesy of five top fifteen finishers, in the victory.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators men’s and women’s Cross Country teams began their 2023 campaigns Friday morning at the Mountain Dew Invitational placing third and first, respectively.
Just twenty-five short minutes after the sunrise, the gun had sounded and the Gators men were off. After navigating through the holes of Mark Bostick Golf Course, the team collected 117 points in their 8k race. Joe Wester was the first Gator to cross the finish line, placing ninth with a time of 24:36.40.
Following Wester were Ethan Geiger, Javi Vento, Josh Stern, and Orlando Cicilioni, who all contributed points towards the third place finish.
Shortly after, the women took to the three-mile course. Running in her first race in three years, Allison Wilson, a transfer from the University of Alabama, placed first overall with a time of 16:38.70.
Her Gator teammates were not far behind as five other Florida runners, Liina Winborn, Vasileia Spyrou, Rylee Pustilnik, Olivia Jones and Sayla Donnelley placed in the top twenty.
Winborn, Spyrou, Pustilnik and Jones contributed to the 38 points scored by the women, which was enough to beat out Vanderbilt for a first place finish.
RESULTS
Men’s Team Finishes
Team
Place
Points
North Florida
1st
30
Georgia Tech
2nd
40
Florida
3rd
117
Flagler
4th
154
Embry-Riddle
5th
158
Vanderbilt
6th
168
Florida Southern
7th
181
Tampa
8th
211
South Florida
9th
232
Chattanooga
10th
236
Florida Gulf Coast
11th
270
Stetson
12th
318
Florida Atlantic
13th
419
FIU
14th
451
Bethune-Cookman
15th
490
Individual Finishes – Men’s 8k
9) Joe Wester – 24:36.40
13) Ethan Geiger – 24:38.20
25) Javi Vento – 25:04.30
26) Josh Stern – 25:04.70
59) Orlando Cicilioni – 25:31.80
109) Ryan Miller – 26:33.80
117) Mac Wright – 26:50.20
Women’s Team Finishes
Team
Place
Points
Florida
1st
38
Vanderbilt
2nd
42
Georgia Tech
3rd
62
Chattanooga
4th
130
Flagler
5th
132
North Florida
6th
151
South Florida
7th
222
Florida Atlantic
8th
236
Stetson
9th
270
Florida Gulf Coast
10th
288
Florida A&M
11th
359
Florida Southern
12th
362
FIU
13th
363
Bethune-Cookman
14th
444
Individual Finishes – Women’s 3-mile
1) Allison Wilson – 16:38.70
5) Liina Winborn – 17:21.70
9) Vasileia Spyrou – 17:33.50
11) Rylee Pustilnik – 17:39.20
12) Olivia Jones – 17:40.30
18) Sayla Donnelley – 17:53.20
40) Annie Loehle – 18:15.4
44) Breanna Stuart – 18:19.40
69) Stephanie Ormsby – 18:56.90
UPCOMING ACTION
In two weeks, the Gators will travel to Tallahassee, Florida to take part in the FSU XC Invitational for their second meet of the 2023 season.
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