12 men and 12 women traveled to Columbia, Missouri, to represent the Florida cross country team at the Gans Creek Classic Friday. It was the second race of the Gators’ 2024 season.
Thirty-six teams participated in the men’s 8k with a total of 320 runners, while the women’s 6k had 38 teams and 329 runners competing.
The No. 8 regionally ranked Florida’s men’s squad took part in a tightly contested race, with the leaders clustered together for the majority of the competition. They secured a 10th place finish with 291 points, led by true freshman Jonathan Leon. The No. 6 nationally ranked women’s team had an impressive performance as well, taking the fourth place spot and 131 points.
Gans Creek marked Leon’s collegiate debut, and he steadily climbed the leaderboard throughout the race. At the 1000m mark, Leon clocked in at the No. 60 spot, but he finished the race in 34th place with a 23:57 time.
Leon wasn’t the only freshman making his debut in Columbia this weekend. Gainesville native Riley Smith crossed the finish line next for the Gators, coming in at No. 48, running 24:03.6.
Redshirt junior Beth Morley led the way for the UF women. After starting her race in 12th, making her way to a sixth place finish.
Three more Gators were not far behind. Juniors Tia Wilson and Caroline Wells came in 11th and 12th respectively, immediately followed by freshman Reagan Gilmore, who secured 13th place. This marked the first race of the season for all four Gators, as well as Gilmore’s first as a collegiate athlete.
Florida will next travel to rival territory to compete at the FSU XC Invite in Tallahassee Oct. 11.
Contact Rae Weinstein at rweinstein@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @raefweinstein.
Rae Weinstein is a sophomore majoring in political science. Fall 2024 is her first semester with The Alligator as Cross County Reporter and in her free time she enjoys reading, watching the NY Mets and playing field hockey.
