The Florida men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Bryan-College Station, Texas, to compete in the first meet of their postseason, the SEC Cross Country Championships, hosted by Texas A&M.
11 women and seven men ran the course in College Station for the Gators. UF’s women’s squad earned a third place finish with a score of 122 points and the men’s team a twelfth place finish with 319 points, respectively.
Florida’s women’s team was led by junior Hilda Olemomoi. Olemomoi, who placed third in 2023 at the SEC Championship, was at the head of the pack, neck-and-neck with runners from Arkansas and Alabama for the duration of the 6k race. Olemomoi improved her previous finish, finishing No. 2, a career best, with a 18:25.0 time.
UF juniors Beth Morely and Tia Wilson were next for Florida coming in at No. 28 and No. 29, followed by senior Allison Wilson who finished No. 31 and freshman Gabrielle Schmidt at No. 32.
The first Florida men’s runner to complete the 8k was senior Ethan Geiger, who placed No. 35, running a 23:36.1. The next finisher for the Gators was freshman Josh Ruiz, who ran a 24:14.1, earning him a 66th place finish.
Geiger was one of three returning runners for the UF’s men’s squad from last year's championships, and was their top scorer.
Next, the Gators will compete in the NCAA South Regional in Tallahassee on Nov. 15 , to qualify for the NCAA Championship.
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.
