Oct. 6, 2007

ORLANDO, Fla. - The West Florida Men finished 14th as a team, and the Women finished 15th as a team in the 12th Annual Walt Disney World Classic this past Saturday in Orlando. The meet was one of the largest Invitational races of the year, as 327 runners from 45 teams competed in the men's 8k race, and 366 runners from nearly 50 women's teams competed in the 5k event, run in muddy conditions.

Coach Matt Dobson was pleased overall as he discussed the race. "The team had a great showing. The race conditions were amazing, rain all day Friday and through the night. So it was like running in a swamp for a lot of the course. What impressed me the most about the team, especially the women is that even with the tough conditions they ran pretty good times. So, I know where their conditioning level is and now it is time to fine tune as we prepare for the conference championships in less than two weeks."

Senior Diana Sitar (Las Vegas, Nev.) was the top finisher for the women in the 5k run, crossing the finish line in 39th place with a time of 19:17. Freshmen Josh McEachin (Tallahassee, Fla.) was the first finisher for the men, with an 80th place finish in 27:41 for the 8k (5 mile) event. The men ran as a strong pack, as the top six Argos finished within 50 seconds. Immediately behind McEachin, was Eric Mayes (Jr. / Pensacola, Fla.) in 84th place with a 27:47.

Senior Jordan Theuerkauf (Wausau, Wisc.) placed 98th in 28:03, while teammate Nicholas Maedel (Fr. / Orange Park, Fla.) was right behind him in 99th place with a time of 28:04. Justin Gates (Jr. / Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) rounded out the scoring for the Argos with his 116th place finish in a time of 28:27. The Argos team score for the men's race was 450, as they outscored regional rivals Florida Tech and Valdosta State. South Dakota was the team champion with 108 points, while Nicolas Kering of Chattahoochee Tech was the overall winner in 25:04.

For the women, Margaret Harter (Jr. / Milton, Fla.) also finished under 20 minutes for the 5k run, as she placed 58th in 19:38. Kelli Midden (Fr. / Boca Raton, Fla.) was 108th in a time of 20:26, while Rebecca Thielemann (Sr. / Dunnellon, Fla.) finished in 130th place with a 20:40 time. Rounding out the team scoring for the women was Katherine Ragia (Jr. / Daytona Beach Shores, Fla.) in 193rd place with a time of 21:44. The women's team score was 466, as they outscored regional rivals Valdosta State and Florida Tech. The University Tampa was the Women's team champion, and they were lead by Laura Woznicki, who was the overall women's winner in a time of 17:41.

Also competing for the Argos in the 8k run, was Andrew Maedel (Fr. / Orange Park, Fla.), who finished 123rd in a time of 28:32. Three other freshmen finished for the men, as Reynolds Griner (Tallahassee, Fla.) was 156th in 29:06, while Sean Jansen (Lutz, Fla.) was 163rd in 29:10, and Jared Black (Tallahassee, Fla.) was 173rd in 29:41. Also finishing for the women was Senior Lindsey Failing (Pace, Fla.), who completed the 5k run in 22:54.

So far this season, the men's record against D-II schools and below is 40-8, while the women's record is 42-7. Dobson explained, "It's been a good year despite all the injuries. We hope to have (Brian) Gowin (Sr. / Pensacola, Fla.) back for conference, and will fill a complete women's team, if the rehabilitation goes well for those women that have been injured."

The Argos will run in an intersquad meet at home this weekend, to prepare for the Gulf South Conference race on October 20th, which will be run in Hoover, Alabama.