Central Florida and Tampa Bay Area Teams Headline Disney Cross Country Classic this Weekend at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort

Filed in: Beyond the Theme Parks, Disney Sports, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Walt Disney World Resort

Top men’s and women’s collegiate teams from Central Florida and the Tampa area headline the Disney Cross Country Classic this weekend at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.

Rollins College (Orlando) and Florida College (Tampa) are among the 267 teams competing in the event, which features more than 3,500 runners from Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

In the high school division, boys’ and girls’ high school teams from Orangewood Christian School (Maitland) and St. Petersburg High School (St. Petersburg) round out the field of top area teams.

Following is a schedule of when the Central Florida and Tampa area teams are in action this weekend at Disney.

 

Disney Cross Country Classic

Men’s College – Scar Division – 8K Run

Saturday, Oct. 12

7:40 a.m.

Rollins College

Top Performers: Senior Jack Gabriel and junior Ryan King are the top two men’s performers for Rollins College. Both runners turned in personal best times in two different events (1,600-meter run and 800-meter run) and are looking to carry that same momentum into this weekend’s race at Disney.

 

Women’s College – Ursula Division – 5K Run

Saturday, Oct. 12

8:25 a.m.

Rollins College

Top Performers: Freshman cross country runner Nicole Rodriguez-Martinez and sophomore Natasha Kusibab are each expected to finish among the top 30 runners this weekend.

 

Men’s College – Scar Division – 8K Run

Saturday, Oct. 12

7:40 a.m.

Florida College

Top Performers: Senior Jarrett Ferguson, who finished 43rd in last year’s Disney Cross Country Classic, is Florida College’s top performers who nearly qualified for a berth in the NCAA national cross country meet last year. He is joined by sophomore Caleb McCort and freshman James Cook.

 

Women’s College — Ursula Division – 5K Run

Saturday, Oct. 12

8:25 a.m.

Florida College

Top Performers: The Florida College women’s team is led by a trio of freshman which include Lillian Bradford, Macy Palmer and Emily Cook.

 

Boys’ High School – Hercules Division – 5K Run

Friday, Oct. 11

2:30 p.m.

Orangewood Christian School

Top Performers: Junior Noah Butterstein is Orangewood’s top runner. He placed fourth at Trinity Heights earlier this year and his fastest time this year has been 20.19. He is hoping to complete the 3.2-mile course at this weekend in less than 20 minutes.

 

Girls’ High School – Mulan Division – 5K Run

Friday, Oct. 11

3:45 pm

Orangewood Christian School

Top Performers: Sophomore Kate Ulmer finished first at Trinity Prep on Sept. 18 with a time of 24:15 over the 3.2-mile course and sixth at Windermere High School on Oct. 5.

 

Boys’ High School – Captain Hook Division – 5K Run

Saturday, Oct. 12

8:50 a.m.

St. Petersburg High School

Top Performers: Senior Charles Sabodski finished fifth in the Pinellas County Athletic Conference Cross Country meet earlier this year and is a favorite to finish among the top 30 runners this weekend. Sabodski completed the 1,600-meter race in 46:05 while freshman Frank Tenore finished 13th (47:15).

 

Girls’ High School – Queen of Hearts Division – 5K Run

Saturday, Oct. 12

9:55 a.m.

St. Petersburg Sigh School

Top Performers: Freshman Ava Abrahams, sophomore Lily Cannon and junior Eleanor Anderson are the top performers for St. Petersburg.

 

 

Media interested in covering the Disney Cross Country Classic must contact Disney Sports Public Relations a day in advance to arrange for credentials. A member of the Disney Sports PR team will meet you at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and escort you to the cross country course.

 

Media Contact: 

Reggie Roberts

Sports Public Relations Manager

Disney Sports Public Relations

Reginald.D.Roberts@disney.com

(407) 353-8848