West Florida Wins Second GSC Women's Cross Country Title
Complete Results
Hoover, Ala. — West Florida did not have a runner finish higher than seventh place but was able to place its top five runners within the top-16 to win the Gulf South Conference Women's Cross Country title Saturday at Veterans Park. It was the second GSC championship for UWF, its first since 1996.
The Argonauts, who were the top-ranked team in the GSC by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, scored 53 points to hold off Delta State, which finished second with 68. It was the second-highest point total for a winner in league history and just the third time a winner had more than 50 points.
West Alabama’s Polina Babkina, who finished sixth last year, won GSC Individual Medalist honors with a time of 19:07, fending off teammate Carolyn Mancuso (19:21), who jumped from ninth in 2010 to second this year. Last year’s Freshman of the Year, Delta State’s Stacey Hagenson (19:30) finished third. This year, West Florida’s Kelley Bahn earned Freshman of the Year honors finishing seventh with a time of 19:57.
West Florida (78) finished third, followed by Alabama-Huntsville (85), West Georgia (100) and Valdosta State(151). North Alabama (162) and Christian Brothers (223) rounded out the eight-team field.
Joining Babkina, Mancuso, Hagenson and Bahn on the All-GSC First Team are VSU’s Jordanne Helton (19:39, 4th), UAH’s Leah Sparks (19:48, 5th), UWF’s Karyssa Tourelle-Fallon (19:50, 6th), UAH’s Michelle Kruse (20:05, 8th) and Haley Hancock (20:06, 9th), and DSU’s Hannah Grace Whitaker (20:09, 10th).
Second Team All-GSC accolades went to the 11th through 20th place finishers: UWF’s Aimee Marsh (11th, 20:10), Renea Porsch (13th, 20:13) and Keyanna Dennis (20:26, 16th); UWG’s Carina Nieto (12th, 20:11) and Casey Brown (18th, 20:35); UWA’s Jessica Gonzalez (14th, 20:17) and Amy Benoit (20th, 20:40); DSU’s Landi Tubertini (15th, 20:22) and Annalee Pierce (17th, 20:30) and VSU's Taylor Harrington (19th, 20:37).
The GSC Head Coaches will vote on the GSC Coach of the Year award Monday afternoon.