University of Georgia Athletics
Drop Sisters Qualify For NCAA Championships At Regional
November 15, 2019 | Cross Country
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --- For the second time in their career, twin sisters Jessica Drop and Samantha Drop punched their tickets to the NCAA Cross Country Championships to highlight the NCAA South Regional in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday morning.
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Team Results & Individual Leaders: The Lady Bulldogs completed their 6k course atthe Apalachee Regional Park in seventh place with 178 points, one spot ahead of their latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region poll spot.  Florida State (42) and Ole Miss (100) were the top two automatic team qualifiers.
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The Georgia men finished 13th(364) on the 10k course in the morning's second race.  As usual, this marked the Bulldogs' first 10k of the season after running four 8k races to build up.  Ole Miss (69) and Middle Tennessee State (83) were the top two teams who qualified for Nationals.
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Individually, Jessica and Samantha Drop each picked up their third expected All-Region certificates with their fourth and fifth combined top-five finishes at the Regional. Jessica finished third (20:16.7) for the third consecutive season while Samantha returned from a redshirt year to take fifth (20:23.2) after winning the meet in 2017.
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With these finishes, Jessica has qualified for her third NCAA Championships in a row.  Samantha has now earned a spot at Nationals for the second time in her career after also competing at the 2017 NCAAs.  Two years ago, Samantha (30th) led a back-to-back finish with Jessica (31st) at the NCAA Championships to both earn the pair All-America honors.
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On the men's side, redshirt freshman Nicholas Yanek did just as he had the first five meets of 2019 and led the Bulldogs with a 26th-place finish (31:07.1).  He ended up missing the All-Region cut by a single spot in his debut at the meet. Â
Cunniff's Comment: "I am really happy with the attitude and effort from both teams today," said Bulldog head coach Patrick Cunniff.  "To see how hard they ran at this meet is a testament to the work they have been putting in all year long and how sincere they are about improving.
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"In the women's race, both Jess and Sam ran incredibly hard and were patient and tough when they needed to be.  They finished up with the elite in our region showing what kind of talent they have.  I think they are headed to Nationals with a lot of confidence and will represent Georgia in a great way.  I thought our other scorers - Nicole Pachuta, Ellie Hall and Anna Marian Block – and our team in general ran their hearts out.
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"For the men, I thought they had their best race of the season.  They came on very tough in the second half of the race and fought for every place we got. Just like he has done all year, Nicholas Yanek was our leader and fought hard to get close to that top 25, missing on All-Region by one spot.  Nate Reichard, Davis Stockwell and Jack Bradley did an exceptional job, really putting it out there.  They all had strong races and gave everything they had to help our team finish. Hopefully we can keep building with our younger runners on both teams."
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The Lowdown: The Drops helped give the Southeastern Conference four of the top five individual finishers. Jessica trimmed 20 spots off of her placement between 2k and 3k, surged into third between 3k and 5k and managed to hold that spot in the final 1000 meters.  Samantha improved from 69thto 39thbetween the 2k and 3k markers before shooting up another 32 spots between 3k and 5k.  The Durham, Conn., native bettered her placement from seventh to fifth in the final 1000 meters to put herself in the top five for the second time in her career.
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Since the team finished seventh, the Drops are expecting an invitation to the NCAA Championships for being in the top four individuals not on the two teams who automatically qualified for Nationals (FSU, Ole Miss).
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Sophomore Nicole Pachuta was the third Lady Bulldog across the line taking 55th(21:27.3). Sitting out this meet last year following an injury at SECs, Pachuta finished 2019 by scoring in all six of her meets.  Pachuta made her biggest push between the 3k to 5k portion as she moved up 16 spots.  True freshman Ellie Hall finished one spot behind Pachuta in 56thwith a 21:28.7.  This continued Hall's progress during the fall as she scored at her fifth straight meet for the Georgia women.
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A third underclassman - sophomore Anna Marian Block – rounded out the Lady Bulldog scorers. She took 62nd(21:37.9) after being the sixth finisher for Georgia last year.  Her performance was aided by the fact that she passed 12 runners in the final 1000 meters.  Block, like Pachuta, scored at all of the Lady Bulldogs' meets this season.
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On the men's side, Yanek worked his way from 49thin the first 2k to 26thas he crossed the finish line.  This was 20 spots better than the top Bulldog finisher at the 2018 meet.  Yanek managed to break into the top 30 by passing another four runners between 7k and 8k. Â
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Similar to 2018, junior Nate Reichard was the second Bulldog finisher, this time taking 72ndwith a 32:13.6.  He made his most significant move between 3k and 5k as he shot up 12 spots and then stayed in that range the rest of the race.  Georgia's third finisher was junior Davis Stockwell, who took 83rd(32:28.8).  Stockwell, who was 90thlast year to score, also made a 12-spot improvement between 3k and 5k as the Bulldogs gained ground as a group.
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Junior Jack Bradley made his debut at the meet and scored with a 32:43.4 for 92ndplace. Working back from 125thplace early in the race, Bradley scored for the fifth time this year for the Bulldogs. True freshman Wesley John completed his first year by scoring for Georgia in both of its postseason meets. He registered a 32:52.1 for 101stplace in a race that saw him inch up a number of spots in every section of the competition.
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What's Up Next: The Drop sisters – Jessica and Samantha – will be traveling back to Terre Haute, Ind., to compete in the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23.  Both competed on the course earlier this year.
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Keeping Up With The Dogs: Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack).
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Team Scores
MEN – 10k (top 10)
1. Ole Miss (69)
2. Middle Tennessee State (83)
3. Alabama (97)
4. Florida State (136)
5. Georgia Tech (169)
6. Lipscomb (205)
7. North Florida (220)
8. Florida (220)
9. Belmont (246)
10. East Tennessee State (259)
13. GEORGIA (364)
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WOMEN – 6k (top 10)
1. Florida State (42)
2. Ole Miss (100)
3. Tennessee (144)
4. Georgia Tech (154)
5. Vanderbilt (166)
6. Alabama (167)
7. GEORGIA (178)
8. Florida (189)
9. Auburn (218)
10. Lipscomb (258)
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Bulldog Men – Individual Finishes
1. Nicholas Yanek – 26th(31:07.1)
2. Nate Reichard – 72nd(32:13.6)
3. Davis Stockwell – 83rd(32:28.8)
4. Jack Bradley – 92nd(32:43.4)
7. Quinn Burden – 139th(34:06.8)
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Lady Bulldogs – Individual Finishes
1. *Jessica Drop – 3rd(20:16.7)
2. *Samantha Drop – 5th(20:23.2)
3. Nicole Pachuta – 55th(21:27.3)
4. Ellie Hall – 56th(21:28.7)
7. Grace Clements – 128th(22:43.2)
*All-Region/NCAA Championships qualifiers
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Team Results & Individual Leaders: The Lady Bulldogs completed their 6k course atthe Apalachee Regional Park in seventh place with 178 points, one spot ahead of their latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region poll spot.  Florida State (42) and Ole Miss (100) were the top two automatic team qualifiers.
Â
The Georgia men finished 13th(364) on the 10k course in the morning's second race.  As usual, this marked the Bulldogs' first 10k of the season after running four 8k races to build up.  Ole Miss (69) and Middle Tennessee State (83) were the top two teams who qualified for Nationals.
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Individually, Jessica and Samantha Drop each picked up their third expected All-Region certificates with their fourth and fifth combined top-five finishes at the Regional. Jessica finished third (20:16.7) for the third consecutive season while Samantha returned from a redshirt year to take fifth (20:23.2) after winning the meet in 2017.
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With these finishes, Jessica has qualified for her third NCAA Championships in a row.  Samantha has now earned a spot at Nationals for the second time in her career after also competing at the 2017 NCAAs.  Two years ago, Samantha (30th) led a back-to-back finish with Jessica (31st) at the NCAA Championships to both earn the pair All-America honors.
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On the men's side, redshirt freshman Nicholas Yanek did just as he had the first five meets of 2019 and led the Bulldogs with a 26th-place finish (31:07.1).  He ended up missing the All-Region cut by a single spot in his debut at the meet. Â
Cunniff's Comment: "I am really happy with the attitude and effort from both teams today," said Bulldog head coach Patrick Cunniff.  "To see how hard they ran at this meet is a testament to the work they have been putting in all year long and how sincere they are about improving.
Â
"In the women's race, both Jess and Sam ran incredibly hard and were patient and tough when they needed to be.  They finished up with the elite in our region showing what kind of talent they have.  I think they are headed to Nationals with a lot of confidence and will represent Georgia in a great way.  I thought our other scorers - Nicole Pachuta, Ellie Hall and Anna Marian Block – and our team in general ran their hearts out.
Â
"For the men, I thought they had their best race of the season.  They came on very tough in the second half of the race and fought for every place we got. Just like he has done all year, Nicholas Yanek was our leader and fought hard to get close to that top 25, missing on All-Region by one spot.  Nate Reichard, Davis Stockwell and Jack Bradley did an exceptional job, really putting it out there.  They all had strong races and gave everything they had to help our team finish. Hopefully we can keep building with our younger runners on both teams."
Â
The Lowdown: The Drops helped give the Southeastern Conference four of the top five individual finishers. Jessica trimmed 20 spots off of her placement between 2k and 3k, surged into third between 3k and 5k and managed to hold that spot in the final 1000 meters.  Samantha improved from 69thto 39thbetween the 2k and 3k markers before shooting up another 32 spots between 3k and 5k.  The Durham, Conn., native bettered her placement from seventh to fifth in the final 1000 meters to put herself in the top five for the second time in her career.
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Since the team finished seventh, the Drops are expecting an invitation to the NCAA Championships for being in the top four individuals not on the two teams who automatically qualified for Nationals (FSU, Ole Miss).
Â
Sophomore Nicole Pachuta was the third Lady Bulldog across the line taking 55th(21:27.3). Sitting out this meet last year following an injury at SECs, Pachuta finished 2019 by scoring in all six of her meets.  Pachuta made her biggest push between the 3k to 5k portion as she moved up 16 spots.  True freshman Ellie Hall finished one spot behind Pachuta in 56thwith a 21:28.7.  This continued Hall's progress during the fall as she scored at her fifth straight meet for the Georgia women.
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A third underclassman - sophomore Anna Marian Block – rounded out the Lady Bulldog scorers. She took 62nd(21:37.9) after being the sixth finisher for Georgia last year.  Her performance was aided by the fact that she passed 12 runners in the final 1000 meters.  Block, like Pachuta, scored at all of the Lady Bulldogs' meets this season.
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On the men's side, Yanek worked his way from 49thin the first 2k to 26thas he crossed the finish line.  This was 20 spots better than the top Bulldog finisher at the 2018 meet.  Yanek managed to break into the top 30 by passing another four runners between 7k and 8k. Â
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Similar to 2018, junior Nate Reichard was the second Bulldog finisher, this time taking 72ndwith a 32:13.6.  He made his most significant move between 3k and 5k as he shot up 12 spots and then stayed in that range the rest of the race.  Georgia's third finisher was junior Davis Stockwell, who took 83rd(32:28.8).  Stockwell, who was 90thlast year to score, also made a 12-spot improvement between 3k and 5k as the Bulldogs gained ground as a group.
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Junior Jack Bradley made his debut at the meet and scored with a 32:43.4 for 92ndplace. Working back from 125thplace early in the race, Bradley scored for the fifth time this year for the Bulldogs. True freshman Wesley John completed his first year by scoring for Georgia in both of its postseason meets. He registered a 32:52.1 for 101stplace in a race that saw him inch up a number of spots in every section of the competition.
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What's Up Next: The Drop sisters – Jessica and Samantha – will be traveling back to Terre Haute, Ind., to compete in the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23.  Both competed on the course earlier this year.
Â
Keeping Up With The Dogs: Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack).
Â
Team Scores
MEN – 10k (top 10)
1. Ole Miss (69)
2. Middle Tennessee State (83)
3. Alabama (97)
4. Florida State (136)
5. Georgia Tech (169)
6. Lipscomb (205)
7. North Florida (220)
8. Florida (220)
9. Belmont (246)
10. East Tennessee State (259)
13. GEORGIA (364)
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WOMEN – 6k (top 10)
1. Florida State (42)
2. Ole Miss (100)
3. Tennessee (144)
4. Georgia Tech (154)
5. Vanderbilt (166)
6. Alabama (167)
7. GEORGIA (178)
8. Florida (189)
9. Auburn (218)
10. Lipscomb (258)
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Bulldog Men – Individual Finishes
1. Nicholas Yanek – 26th(31:07.1)
2. Nate Reichard – 72nd(32:13.6)
3. Davis Stockwell – 83rd(32:28.8)
4. Jack Bradley – 92nd(32:43.4)
5. Wesley John – 101st(32:52.1)
6. Taylor Scarbrough – 106th(32:57.6)7. Quinn Burden – 139th(34:06.8)
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Lady Bulldogs – Individual Finishes
1. *Jessica Drop – 3rd(20:16.7)
2. *Samantha Drop – 5th(20:23.2)
3. Nicole Pachuta – 55th(21:27.3)
4. Ellie Hall – 56th(21:28.7)
5. Anna Marian Block – 62nd(21:37.9)
6. Ansley Heavern – 87th(22:05.0)7. Grace Clements – 128th(22:43.2)
*All-Region/NCAA Championships qualifiers
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Players Mentioned
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