David Drucker/ Contributing Writer
The Panthers continued their preparation for the 19th Annual Disney Cross Country Classic with a strong performance at the Florida Runners Invitational. Freshman Ronny Greenup added another first place finish to his 2014 campaign and the team took a step towards success in Orlando this weekend.
The upcoming Disney Cross Country Classic will be the biggest event the Panthers have competed in so far. Thousands of runners from across the nation will travel to ESPN Wide World of Sports to compete.
In addition to an 8,000-meter race for the men and a 5,000-meter race for the women, the promoters of the event encourage the participants and their families to enjoy Orlando’s theme parks and a large pregame pasta meal arranged for the runners.
The Panthers are coming off an impressive effort at the Florida Runners Invitational, which featured a 5,000-meter run for the men and women’s teams.
Greenup and the men and women’s teams will need to carry that momentum into the weekend to place high in the larger-scale Disney Cross Country Classic.
Greenup continues to make big strides in his successful freshman campaign. He ran the 5,000-meter in 15.45.26 at Florida Runners Invitational. This time beat the rest of the competition, was his third first place finish this season and his first in the 5,000-meter.
Junior Brandon Ballard made his 2014 cross country debut at the Florida Runners Invitational with a time of 19:21.70. He placed 16th among participating men. Despite being listed as a sprinter, Ballard is not new to cross country; in fact, his career best time for the 8,000-meter was at least year’s edition of the Disney Cross Country Classic (27:13.10).
But it is not clear if he or junior Daniel Puentes, who did not run in the Florida Runners Invitational, will travel to Orlando this weekend.
Unlike the men, the women typically run the 5,000-meter, so the Florida Runners Invite was a good measuring stick for the team. Senior Catherine Ventura led the women’s squad with a time of 20:37.07. Despite this being the women’s best time for the event, Ventura’s times at the USF Invitational, UCF Cross Country Invitational, and Mountain Dew Invitational were faster. She will need to have a good showing at the Disney Cross Country Classic if she hopes to surpass her career best time of 18:41.30, which she ran at the USF Invitational last year.
The rest of the women ran solid times last weekend, but did not produce a slew of 2014 bests like they did at the Mountain Dew Invitational. Sophomore Sheri Menna, who is normally identified as a thrower, saw her first cross country action of the year and ran a 33:42.00.
Both teams should look forward to the Disney Cross Country Classic as an opportunity to have fun and compete hard at a premiere event. This season, the stage will be bigger than ever before as runners from all around the nation flock to Orlando.
Coverage begins at 7:30 a.m., Oct. 11, from ESPN Wide World of Sports and can be followed on Watch ESPN.
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