Meet Information
Disney Cross Country Classic
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017
Orlando, Fla. | ESPN Wide World of Sports
 
The Basics
The FIU men's and women's cross country programs got back to action on Saturday, Oct. 7 as they traveled up Florida's Turnpike to take part in the Disney Cross Country Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
 
Women's Highlights
The Panthers turned in another big-time effort winning the women's collegiate 5K race, placing first out of eight Division I teams. FIU bested its performance from two weeks ago at the Mountain Dew Gator Invitational in Gainesville where it finished second. Sherilene Gelderblom (Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa) won her first collegiate race, taking the top spot with a time of 18:00.8. In addition, a total of four Panthers' runners finished in the top 25.
 
Other top finishers on the women's side included:
- Brittany Watson – 18:48.6 (season-best)
- Rahel Gerbretsadik – 19:25.5
- Mackenzie Mayers – 19:25.7
- Sabrina Quijano – 19:31.6
- Shanika Dessen – 19:38.0
- Sydne Grier – 19:55.8
- Sofia Hernandez – 21:17.0 

Men's Highlights
The FIU men's team took part in the 8K and was one of five Division I teams competing. Daniel Areces took the top spot for the Panthers with a time of 28:35.4.
 
Other top men's finishers included:
- Jorge Areces – 28:50.2
- Alec Dominguez – 29:49.4
- Alexander Villanueva – 29:53.5
- David Suarez – 30:56.2

Up Next
FIU's men's and women's cross country teams will get back on the track on Oct. 13 when they take part in the USF Collegiate Invitational in Tampa.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUMensSoccer) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensSoccer) for all the latest Men's Soccer news.
 
Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
 
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Fans are encouraged to follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUTrackXC) for all the latest FIU Track and Cross Country news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
 
Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.