Editor’s Note: Quotes from assistant coach Chris Solinsky were received via text message from the team’s SID Carroll Rich on Saturday after the meet.
Jessica Pascoe’s cross country career at UF ended with an 86th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, where she was the only athlete representing Florida on Saturday.
Terre Haute, Indiana, was the site of Pascoe’s last lap with the Florida cross country team, which she has been a part of for the last four years.
The senior started off the 6K strong, and at the 2000-meter split, she was in 22nd place — just one second behind University of New Mexico junior Weini Kelati.
By the 4000-meter split, Pascoe dropped to 32nd before falling to 86th when she crossed the finish line with a time of 21:10.4.
Assistant coach Chris Solinsky was proud of Pascoe’s efforts but cites a sickness that plagued the team throughout the season as reason for her 86th-place finish.
“I’m proud of Jess,” Solinsky said. “She executed the race plan we set very well. She felt great through the 4K, but the effects of a lengthy sickness really caught up to her that last 2K.
Kelati (19:47.5) won the individual title, and No. 1 Arkansas won the National Championship after having four runners finish in the top 21.
Pascoe qualified for the NCAAs after a second-place finish at the NCAA South Regional Championships last week, but neither of the UF men’s or women’s squads qualified for the NCAAs as teams.
Pascoe’s career with UF is not over just yet, however. She will compete with the UF track & field team in the spring.
Follow Joseph Salvador on Twitter @JSalvadorSports. Contact him at jsalvador@alligator.org
Jessica Pascoe
