Tampa Women Take Title At Pre-National Race
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The No. 13 University of Tampa women's cross country team claimed its third team championship of the 2009 season as it won the 2009 Pre-National Championships. The Spartan men ran to a ninth place finish.
On the women's side, UT runners accounted for five of the top-10 finishes as Jess Butler was Tampa's top performer. The sophomore finished third overall with a time of 22:35.99.
Teammates Dara Fox and Sara Nelson were the next to cross the finish line, placing fourth and fifth respectively. Fox garnered a time of 22:49.68 while Nelson logged a 22:55.07 showing. Heather Nicolosi finished seventh with a time of 23:09.09 while Paige Williams was 10th overall and the fifth Spartan, coming in at 23:14.58.
Freshman Kaia Hampton recorded a 20th-place finish with a time of 23:40.81. Katie O'Brien also ran for the Spartans, placing 33rd while registering a time of 24:23.93.
Tampa's men were led by senior Chris Catanach, who finished 22nd after running a time of 26:49. 46. Other Spartans to compete included Lewis Price (37th), Mike Leone (57th), Charles Toledo (68th) and Steve Cain (83rd).
Stonehill College won the men's race with 42 total points, followed by Southern Indiana (69). In the women's race, Southern Indiana (56) and Ferris State (82) finished behind UT (29).
Tampa returns to action on Sat., Oct. 10, when it travels to Kissimmee for the annual Disney Invite.
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