University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, September 2
Charlotte, N.C.
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University of Georgia
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Charlotte Opener
Bailey, John Lead Georgia XC To Fourth-Place Finishes
September 02, 2022 | Cross Country
CHARLOTTE, N.C.. --- Juniors Sara Bailey and Wesley John led their respective Bulldog squads to fourth-place team finishes as the 2022 cross country campaign got underway at the Charlotte Opener on Friday morning.
Team Results & Top Bulldog Finishers: The Georgia men started the day by scoring 106 points to finish behind North Carolina (20), Charlotte (42) and William & Mary (93) in the first 5k of the day. The Lady Bulldogs wrapped up the action by taking fourth with 94 points as North Carolina (16), Charlotte (66) and William & Mary (76) swept the first three spots.
Bailey, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., posted the program's top individual finish after taking 12th with a time of 18:29.6 in the women's 5k. John, a native of Watkinsville, Ga., completed the Frank Liske Park course in 15:29.1 and was 21st out of 59 runners.
Henner's Thoughts: "I thought both teams were pretty solid for this being our first meet. We have to keep chipping away and over time gradually get better," said Patrick Henner, who was making his debut as the Bulldogs' cross country coach. "I was pleased with our top three on the men's side and am excited to see them develop. Wesley and Copper (Bocko) both made good moves during the race and KC (Heron) stuck his nose in there early. We now have to get those three to commit to moving up together. I think the rest of the guys will learn more and more about racing effectively as the season goes on."
"The effort on the women's side was great. We have the markings already of what could be a pretty good team. Sara had a race that we pretty much expected and Simone (Rojas) did a great job in her first collegiate meet. I also thought Katherine (Law) had a solid start to her race. We will be introducing more freshmen as we approach our second meet and like the men, I think we will get better and better as the season goes on."
The Lowdown: The Bulldog men started the morning with three returning scorers finishing in the top 30 to lead the squad. Redshirt sophomore John-Isaac Autry and true freshman Ethan Nordman raced for the first time officially for Georgia in cross and also finished in the team's top five.
John, who also led the Bulldogs in the 2021 opener, was first across the line clocking a time of 15:29.1. Sophomore Cooper Bocko managed 26th place thanks to a time of 15:42.1. This marked Bocko's third career time scoring for Georgia. Fellow sophomore KC Heron was the third Bulldog in the top 30 after racing to a 15:49.6 finish. Heron also was in Georgia's top five during last year's first meet.
The final two Bulldog scorers were running in a cross meet for UGA for their first time. Autry managed a 35th-place finish with a 16:10.8 while Nordman took 43rd (16:23.4).
Also of note, redshirt freshman Seth White made his Bulldog debut on Friday.
Bailey started last season by leading the Lady Bulldogs in their first four meets and the trend continued in this year's opener. She took 12th with a time of 18:29.6 to finish three spots ahead of true freshman Simone Rojas, who ran the 5000 meters in 18:45.7. Sophomore Charlotte Augenstein, who scored in all five meets last year, slipped into the top 25 with a 22nd-place showing (19:12.6).
Joining Rojas as a true freshman scorer, Katherine Law was 26th (19:22.6) while junior Ellie Hall finished in the fifth scoring spot (30th – 19:32.4) for the second consecutive year. Hall went on to also score in Georgia's second and third meets last year.
True freshman Emily Guy also ran for the first time in a Georgia uniform in Charlotte.
TEAM SCORES
Men
Men
21. Wesley John (15:29.1)
26. Cooper Bocko (15:42.1)
28. KC Heron (15:49.6)
35. John-Isaac Autry (16:10.8)
48. Noah Hayes (16:36.8)
50. Tyler Fox (16:43.1)
52. Seth White (16:43.8)
Women
12. Sara Bailey (18:29.6)
15. Simone Rojas (18:45.7)
22. Charlotte Augenstein (19:12.6)
26. Katherine Law (19:22.6)
46. Aleesa de Castro (20:40.5)
50. Emily Guy (21:15.7)
What's Up Next: UGA is slated to travel to Huntsville, Ala., for the first of two times on Sept. 16 for the North Alabama Invitational. Georgia will return to the course on Nov. 11 for the NCAA South Regional.
Keeping Up With The Dogs: Updates from Georgia's track and field and cross country teams can always be found on Twitter/Instagram (UGATrack).
Team Results & Top Bulldog Finishers: The Georgia men started the day by scoring 106 points to finish behind North Carolina (20), Charlotte (42) and William & Mary (93) in the first 5k of the day. The Lady Bulldogs wrapped up the action by taking fourth with 94 points as North Carolina (16), Charlotte (66) and William & Mary (76) swept the first three spots.
Bailey, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., posted the program's top individual finish after taking 12th with a time of 18:29.6 in the women's 5k. John, a native of Watkinsville, Ga., completed the Frank Liske Park course in 15:29.1 and was 21st out of 59 runners.
Henner's Thoughts: "I thought both teams were pretty solid for this being our first meet. We have to keep chipping away and over time gradually get better," said Patrick Henner, who was making his debut as the Bulldogs' cross country coach. "I was pleased with our top three on the men's side and am excited to see them develop. Wesley and Copper (Bocko) both made good moves during the race and KC (Heron) stuck his nose in there early. We now have to get those three to commit to moving up together. I think the rest of the guys will learn more and more about racing effectively as the season goes on."
"The effort on the women's side was great. We have the markings already of what could be a pretty good team. Sara had a race that we pretty much expected and Simone (Rojas) did a great job in her first collegiate meet. I also thought Katherine (Law) had a solid start to her race. We will be introducing more freshmen as we approach our second meet and like the men, I think we will get better and better as the season goes on."
The Lowdown: The Bulldog men started the morning with three returning scorers finishing in the top 30 to lead the squad. Redshirt sophomore John-Isaac Autry and true freshman Ethan Nordman raced for the first time officially for Georgia in cross and also finished in the team's top five.
John, who also led the Bulldogs in the 2021 opener, was first across the line clocking a time of 15:29.1. Sophomore Cooper Bocko managed 26th place thanks to a time of 15:42.1. This marked Bocko's third career time scoring for Georgia. Fellow sophomore KC Heron was the third Bulldog in the top 30 after racing to a 15:49.6 finish. Heron also was in Georgia's top five during last year's first meet.
The final two Bulldog scorers were running in a cross meet for UGA for their first time. Autry managed a 35th-place finish with a 16:10.8 while Nordman took 43rd (16:23.4).
Also of note, redshirt freshman Seth White made his Bulldog debut on Friday.
Bailey started last season by leading the Lady Bulldogs in their first four meets and the trend continued in this year's opener. She took 12th with a time of 18:29.6 to finish three spots ahead of true freshman Simone Rojas, who ran the 5000 meters in 18:45.7. Sophomore Charlotte Augenstein, who scored in all five meets last year, slipped into the top 25 with a 22nd-place showing (19:12.6).
Joining Rojas as a true freshman scorer, Katherine Law was 26th (19:22.6) while junior Ellie Hall finished in the fifth scoring spot (30th – 19:32.4) for the second consecutive year. Hall went on to also score in Georgia's second and third meets last year.
True freshman Emily Guy also ran for the first time in a Georgia uniform in Charlotte.
TEAM SCORES
Men
- North Carolina (20 points)
- Charlotte (42)
- William & Mary (93)
- GEORGIA (106)
- North Carolina (16 points)
- Charlotte (66)
- William & Mary (76)
- GEORGIA (94)
Men
21. Wesley John (15:29.1)
26. Cooper Bocko (15:42.1)
28. KC Heron (15:49.6)
35. John-Isaac Autry (16:10.8)
43. Ethan Nordman (16:23.4)
47. Nicolas Fontova (16:33.4)48. Noah Hayes (16:36.8)
50. Tyler Fox (16:43.1)
52. Seth White (16:43.8)
Women
12. Sara Bailey (18:29.6)
15. Simone Rojas (18:45.7)
22. Charlotte Augenstein (19:12.6)
26. Katherine Law (19:22.6)
30. Ellie Hall (19:32.4)
31. Sophia Baker (19:35.3)46. Aleesa de Castro (20:40.5)
50. Emily Guy (21:15.7)
What's Up Next: UGA is slated to travel to Huntsville, Ala., for the first of two times on Sept. 16 for the North Alabama Invitational. Georgia will return to the course on Nov. 11 for the NCAA South Regional.
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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