Florida Women’s Cross Country Wins Mountain Dew Invitational, Men’s Team Places Third

Alabama transfer Allison Wilson made a splash in her Florida debut, winning the women’s race at the Mountain Dew Invitational. Her effort, along with that of her teammates, led the women’s team to a first-place finish.

The men’s team placed third overall behind North Florida and Georgia Tech. Aidan O’Gorman of UNF won the race, while the Gators were led by ninth-place finisher Joe Wester.

Meet Overview

Fourteen women’s teams and fifteen men’s teams competed in their respective races at the Mark Bostic Golf Course this morning. The women ran a three-mile race while the men ran an eight kilometer race.

The Mountain Dew Invitational was last held in 2021 and both Gators teams won their respective races.

A Look at the Orange & Blue

Seven athletes from the men’s team and nine athletes from the women’s represented the Gators. Sayla Donnelly, Annie Loehle and Breanna Stuart all made their NCAA debuts, finishing 18th, 40th and 44th respectively. All of the men’s competitors are returning runners from last year’s team.

This event is the first of three regular-season events that the Gators will compete in before heading into the post season.

Looking Back

Last season, just one Gator, Parker Valby, qualified for the NCAA Championship; she placed second overall in women’s 6k race. This season, the Gators will look to grow this number and send more runners to compete for the title.

Up Next

The Gators will compete in the FSU XC Invitational in Tallahassee on Sept. 29 and will wrap up the regular season at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison on Oct. 13.

From there, the Gators will embark on their postseason journey by first heading to Columbia, South Carolina, for the SEC Championship. They will then return to home to host the NCAA South Regional on Nov. 10.

The last stop of the season will be Charlottesville, Virginia, for the NCAA Championship.