Florida cross country runners Charlotte Browning, Dumisane Hlaselo and Matt Mizereck were named SEC Cross Country Athletes of the Week Tuesday by the league, sweeping three of the four SEC weekly cross country honors.
Florida’s league accolades come three days after the Gators competed in the nationally renowned Wisconsin Adidas Invitational last weekend. Florida competed with multiple Top 25 squads, including five in the women’s competition and eight in the men’s field. The Gators turned in seventh-place team finishes on both sides, tallying 195 points in the women’s race and 217 in the men’s competition.
Browning, the 2010 NCAA Indoor mile champion and the 2010 NCAA Outdoor 1,500 meters champion, was named the SEC Cross Country Female Athlete of the Week for her first-place finish at the Adidas Invitational. She was clocked at 20:13.4 in the 6K race, her first of the 2010 campaign. Her effort was just a second shy of her career-best time.
Hlaselo, a junior newcomer, was named the SEC Cross Country Male Athlete of the Week and finished seventh in the men’s 8K race with a time of 23:45.6.
Mizereck, the SEC Cross Country Male Freshman Athlete of the Week, finished 59th overall in the race, clocking in at 24:32.6 after running a 25:25.8 in Florida’s season-opening home meet on Sept. 18.
Both Florida teams appear in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division I rankings. The men make their first appearance at No. 30. The women are ranked No. 27, down from last week’s No. 7 ranking.
Here’s a link to the latest USTFCCCA Division I polls:
http://www.ustfccca.org/featured/indiana-men-make-bold-move-to-national-top-ten
The Florida men’s team is ranked No. 3 in the South Region rankings behind Florida State and Alabama. The Florida women are No. 2 in the South Region behind Florida State. Both teams will compete Friday in the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee. The first race is at 6:20 p.m. ET.
Here’s a link to the regional pairings:
http://www.ustfccca.org/featured/d-i-regional-cross-country-rankings-week-4-october-4