The Florida men’s and women’s cross country teams collected their second-straight sweep on Saturday, and they hope to carry their success into Pennsylvania.
The Gators will compete against some of the nation’s top talent this Saturday at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University.
“It’s a good opportunity to see where we stack up against some of the best runners in the country,” coach Paul Spangler said on Monday.
On the men’s side, senior Carlos Miranda has stepped up as the team leader. Miranda has posted the team’s top times in each of the first two meets, finishing second overall at the Covered Bridge Open and first at last weekend’s Mountain Dew Invitational.
“He’s led by example,” Spangler said. “He’s come in and worked well with (volunteer coach) Eddie Garcia… He’s fed off Eddie and his leadership style and really transferred that to the other athletes on the team and the younger athletes.”
After a solid start to the season, consistency seems to be the focus for Miranda as he heads into the weekend. Miranda and his teammates will look to match their season-opening performances, especially with only a week to prepare between meets.
“That’s the key for Carlos (Miranda) is consistency,” Spangler said. “I think he’s figured that out.”
On the women’s side, senior Taylor Tubbs has taken on a leadership role. Tubbs finished in the top five in both of the Gators’ opening meets.
If Miranda and Tubbs can carry their leadership and success into Lehigh, the Gators think they have a good shot at competing for coveted at-large points, which are used to advance in the postseason.
Along with the senior leaders, look for touted Florida freshmen to make an impact at the Paul Short.
Colin Schaefer finished third over the weekend, much to the surprise of his coach.
“I didn’t see that coming,” said Spangler. “Nothing had indicated that he (Schaefer) was ready to be our second guy, and some athletes are like that … he comes out there and just competes on race day.”
And freshman Jessica Pascoe looks to be a force for the women.
Pascoe finished second overall and first among Gators in her debut, finishing behind only senior All-American Anne-Marie Blaney of Central Florida.
Even with the success of the freshmen, the team’s dynamic hasn’t changed, according to Spangler.
“We’re a team,” he said. “The upperclassmen (are) certainly looking at the new athletes coming in, they’ve embraced them… It’s a great team atmosphere at practice. And everybody knows we’ve got the same goal in mind, and that’s to contend for a SEC title and get these teams to nationals.”
Contact Mark Stine at mstine@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
UF's Taylor Tubs races during the 2015 Mountain Dew Invitational on Sept. 19, 2015, at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
