No. 28 Lady Bulldogs Crack Top-10 at Pre-Nationals

Saturday, October 13

Madison, Wis.

TBA

University of Georgia

NCAA Pre-Nationals

October 13, 2018 | Cross Country

No. 28 Lady Bulldogs Crack Top-10 at Pre-Nationals

MADISON, Wis. --- The 28^th-ranked Lady Bulldogs placed ninth to highlight Georgia's finish in the Pre-Nationals on Saturday morning on the Thomas Zimmer Championships Course in Madison, Wis.

In the Pre-Nationals Women's White 6k race, Georgia outpaced two higher ranked teams in No. 24 Yale, and No. 20 Utah State who finished 11th and 12th, respectively. New Mexico won the 36-team field with 67 points followed by Michigan and Stanford with 120 and 129 points, respectively.

During the Men Cardinal 8k, Georgia placed 27th with a score of 735. Northern Arizona won with 41 points followed by Stanford with 84 and Colorado with 110. A total of 243 runners filled up the 35-team field.

"Today was a strong and very productive day for both our men and women," said Bulldog distance coach Patrick Cunniff.  "I thought both squads ran really hard and even though conditions were not very 'Georgia-like,' we stayed focused on what we were trying to do and ended up with two solid performances.

"I was extremely happy with how the women ran.  I think the ladies got in their toughest race to date and had a really complete team performance.  Jessica Drop was outstanding up front and the women in the middle – Grace (Tavani), Yanely (Gomez), Skylar (English) and Hailey (Branch) – were excellent.  The two freshmen, Nicola Pachuta and then Anna Marian Block in the open race showed that we are starting to develop some depth. We beat two teams that were ranked ahead of us, including turning the tables on Yale who had beaten us at Paul Short. Our girls did a great job of moving up today and we are very proud.

"The men also did an excellent job in another big, tough field.  Sam Bowers probably put together his best race this year after competing very well at the end and Michael Hans had another strong race.  The rest of the team were grinding out and fighting for places. We had a strong pack of four that ran very well and hopefully this will get us ready for SECs and to start the transition into our championship season."

For the Georgia women, junior Jessica Drop led the Bulldogs with an 11th-place finish, clocking a season-best 20:22.6 in a 6k. Last year, Drop finished in 14th place. Senior Grace Tavani and junior Yanely Gomez were the next two Bulldogs to cross. Tavani improved 26 spots from last year's results when she was Georgia's fourth finisher, taking 73rd.

Next, the trio of Skylar English, Hailey Branch, and Nicole Pachuta all recorded season-best 6k times. Lastly, Ansley Heavern finished 169th among the 243 competitors to round out Georgia's point total at 279.

On the men's side, freshman Sam Bowers represented the first Bulldog finisher in 103th place at 25:05.4. Not far behind was redshirt sophomore Michael Hans in 118th place for a time of 25:14.9 – an improvement of 86 spots from last year's results. Freshman Tyler Fox trailed in 169th place at 25:46.8, edging his previous season-best 8k time. Jonathan Pelham battled for a 177th place after finishing in 220th place last season. Later in the race, redshirt sophomore Davis Stockwell clocked a new season-best 8k time with a 25:51.2.

The weather in Madison lingered in the low 40s with wind around 10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph.

Georgia also had a contingent of runners In Rome, Ga., at the Berry Invitational earlier in the day. The Bulldog women finished the 6k race in second place out of 24 teams with a total of 65 points, just 24 points behind top-finisher Chattanooga. Three Bulldog men competed in the 8k race, coming in fifth, 10th, and 25th place, respectively, among the 213 competitors.

Five Lady Bulldogs finished in the top-25 including two in the top-10 to pace Georgia. Tiffany Yue led the Bulldog attack in fifth with a time of 22:55.64, while Marisa Petit closely followed in seventh at 23:03.11. Rounding out the top-25 finishers was Halle McClintock (17th), Millie Bergey (23rd), and Emily Doherty (24th). The last Georgia runner to cross the finish line was Emma Rose Bagwell in 38th place out of the 217 competitors.

Sophomore Darr Smith who finished fifth with a time of 25:55.04 spearheaded the men trio. Daniel Navarro, a senior from Kennesaw, trailed closely behind in 10th at 26:03.28, while junior Ryan Peppenhorst, of Cumming, closed out Georgia's contingent in 25th at 26:33.63. A total of 213 runners spanning across over 20 schools made up the field in Rome.

The Bulldogs in Rome dealt with more southern-like weather of low 60 degrees and wind around 10 mph.

The SEC Championships will arrive next in Auburn, Ala., on Friday, Oct. 26.  The Lady Bulldogs will be gunning to qualify for two straight NCAA meets while the Georgia men are in search of their first berth since 2013 at the NCAA South Regional in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday, Nov. 9. The NCAA Championships are set for Saturday, Nov. 17 in Madison, Wisc.

Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack) and Snapchat (ugatrack).

Pre-Nationals Team Scores
Women
1. New Mexico – 67 points
2. Michigan – 120 points
3. Stanford – 129 points
4. Notre Dame – 172 points
5. Washington – 199 points
6. Wisconsin – 199 points
7. Furman – 220 points
8. Southern Utah – 237 points
9. Georgia – 279 points

Men
1. Northern Arizona – 41 points
2. Stanford – 84 points
3. Colorado – 110 points
4. Oregon – 152 points
5. Wyoming – 191 points
27. Georgia – 735 points

Bulldog Individual Scorers
Women
1. Jessica Drop – 20:22.6 (11th)
2. Grace Tavani – 21:09.9 (47th)
3. Yanely Gomez – 21:21.5 (58th)
4. Skylar English – 21.31.5 (71st)
5. Hailey Branch – 21:43.9 (92nd)
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6. Nicole Pachuta – 22:04.9 (127nd)
7. Ansley Heavern – 22:29.1 (169th)

Men
1. Sam Bowers – 25:05.4 (103rd)
2. Michael Hans – 25:14.9 (118th)
3. Tyler Fox – 25:46.8 (169th)
4. Nathanial Reichard – 25:48.3
5. Jonathan Pelham – 25:49.4 (177th)
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6. Davis Stockwell – 25:51.2 (182nd)
7. Jack Bradley – 27:04.6 (232nd)

Berry Invitational Team Scores
Women
1. Chattanooga – 39 points
2. Georgia – 65 points
3. Berry – 92 points
4. Kennesaw State – 98 points
5. Berea – 183 points

Bulldog Individual Scorers
Women
1. Tiffany Yue – 22:55.64 (5th)
2. Marisa Petit – 23:03.11 (7th)
3. Halle McClintock – 23:30.88 (17th)
4. Millie Bergey – 23:51.90 (23rd)
5. Emily Doherty – 23:54.00 (24th)
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6. Erika Plummer – 24:20.29 (32)
7. Emma Rose Bagwell – 24:46.97 (38th)

Bulldog Individual Scorers
Men
1. Darr Smith – 25:55.04 (5th)
2. Daniel Navarro – 26:03.28 (10th)
3. Ryan Peppenhorst – 26:33.63 (25th)