Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
Gator Invitational
Owls Perform Well in Gainesville
9/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 16, 2006
Gainesville, FL - The Florida Atlantic University competed in the Gator Invitational held of the campus of the University of Florida on Saturday.
The men finished 14th, led by junior Earl Barlow, who finished in a time of 28:06.18. Jordan Zwick (28:22.57) and Stephen Dassin (28:34.01) closely followed Barlow. Kendrick Ribiero finished 119th (29:48.75) and Kyle Byrtus finished 132nd (32:38.47) to round out the field for the men.
"We had three runners who were running five miles for the first time. Our focus for this meet was comparing how much we improved on our previous performances," head cross country coach Alex Smolka said. "We really exceeded our expectations."
The women were once again led by the combination of freshman Friederike Feil and junior Trisha Doyle. Feil (3rd,17:48.93) and Doyle (5th, 17:53.08) both broke the previous school record of 17:57.00, which was set by Raynell Hagberg in last year's Gator Invitational. Their performances were once again key, as they helped the Owls finish one point in front of the teams from North Florida and Central Florida, who tied for sixth place.
"To have two break the school record at the meet it was set is really fantastic," Smolka said. "It's even more special because it's just the second 5K ever for Friederike."
Monika Grabowiecka finished 32nd overall and 26th among the eligible competitors in 19:02.29. Ashley Wilcox finished 60th overall (19:35.18) and Jillian Lopez (20:13.92) ended up 89th overall to score for the women.
"We have a lot of girls who are battling back from injury", said coach Smolka. "Our performance today shows a lot of promise for the rest of the year."
Barbara Fronrath, (101st, 20:36.20) and Jennifer Schwan, (116th, 20:58.06) Artemis Saradakis (127th, 25:21.23) and Patricia Gumbs (158th, 22:48.24)also competed for the Owls.
The Owls' next meet is on Sept. 29th, when they travel to Dade City to participate in the FLrunners.com Invitational.
Men's Individual Results (8K)
92. Earl Barlow 28:06.18
97. Jordan Zwick 28:22.57
100. Stephen Dassin 28:34.01
119. Kendrick Ribeiro 29:48.75
132. Kyle Byrtus 32:28.47
Women's Individual Results (5K)
3. Friederike Feil 17:48.93
5. Trisha Doyle 17:53.08
32. Monika Grabowiecka 19:02.32
60. Ashley Wilcox 19:35.18
89. Jillian Lopez 20:13.92
101. Barbara Fronrath 20:36.20
116. Jennifer Schwan 20:58.06
127. Artemis Saridakis 25:21.23
158. Leona Patricia Gumbs 22:48.24
Players Mentioned
