By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
The Bulls shattered personal records Saturday to show much promise for what's to come later in Kentucky.
The USF men's cross country team's Connor Bauer, Steven Fernandez and Jeff Lipsman all set career bests at the Greater Louisville Classic, while Felix Soto topped his top time of the season.
Bauer, a sophomore, has led the young Bulls team all season and ran a 26:04 on the 8K course that will be the site of the Big East Championships.
Fernandez posted a time of 26:25 in the team's 29th place finish and freshman walk-on Lipsman ran a 27:06. Soto ran a 27:07 despite being tripped up twice by the huge pack of runners.
The veteran USF women's team also posted top times while finishing fifth out of 30 teams and defeating the four other Big East teams that competed in the 5K race.
Allie Prendergast continued her strong season with another top finish among USF runners with a personal record time of 17:27 that put her into 17th place out of 262 competitors.
Personal bests continued for Yasmin Smith (17:40, 26th place), Devin Spoerle (18:05, 55th), Shaniel Chambers (18:06, 57th) and Kelli Williams (18:22, 83rd).
"They ran really well," coach Dena Reif said.
The Bulls will be back in Louisville for the Big East Championships on Oct. 29. Reif said Saturday was a great time to get used to the course and the competition.
"It gives them competitively a time of what they feel like they could be at to improve their times and run a better race when they come back here about a month later," she said. "It was a great weekend for us."
Women's 5K Top Team Finishes
1. Univ. of Michigan
Total Time: 1:26:56.51
Average: 17:23.31
2. Ferris State Univ.
Total Time: 1:28:33.13
Average: 17:42.63
3. Ole Miss
Total Time: 1:29:11.11
Average: 17:50.23
4. Purdue Univ.
Total Time: 1:29:38.69
Average: 17:55.74
5. Univ. of South Florida
Total Time: 1:29:44.05
Average: 17:56.81
6. Univ. of Alabama
Total Time: 1:30:01.83
Average: 18:00.37
7. Illinois State Univ.
Total Time: 1:30:00.50
Average: 18:00.10
8. West Virginia Univ. "B"
Total Time: 1:29:50.25
Average: 17:58.05
9. East Carolina Univ.
Total Time: 1:29:51.65
Average: 17:58.33
10. Vanderbilt "B"
Total Time: 1:30:36.11
Average: 18:07.23
USF Women's Individual Finishers
17. Allie Prendergast, 17:28.79
26. Yasmin Smith, 17:40.34
55. Devin Spoerle, 18:05.88
57. Shaniel Chambers, 18:05.25
203. Rachel Etienne, 19:13.79
228. Jessie Prendergast, 19:37.64
255. Rachael James, 20:48.77
Men's 8K Top Team Finishes
1. Purdue Univ.
Total Time: 2:02:39.66
Average: 24:31.94
2. Univ. of Louisville
Total Time: 2:03:00.87
Average: 24:36.18
3. Univ. at Albany
Total Time: 2:02:59.04
Average: 24:35.81
4. Western KY University
Total Time: 2:03:00.49
Average: 24:36.10
5. Southern Illinois Univ.
Total Time: 2:04:12.74
Average: 24:50.55
6. Marquette Univ.
Total Time: 2:04:16.23
Average: 24:51.25
7. Davidson College
Total Time: 2:03:56.30
Average: 24:47.26
8. University of Kentucky
Total Time: 2:04:29.89
Average: 24:53.98
9. Shorter Univ.
Total Time: 2:04:56.50
Average: 24:59.30
10. Univ. of Southern Indiana
Total Time: 2:05:18.87
Average: 25:03.78
29. Univ. of South Florida
Total Time: 2:13:42.28
Average: 26:44.46
USF Men's Individual Finishers
155. Connor Bauer, 26:05.13
174. Steven Fernandez, 26:25.24
201. Lucas Simari, 26:56.31
208. Jeff Lipsman, 27:07.47
209. Felix Soto, 27:08.12
225. Jonathan Bing, 27:49.72
229. Amuru Serikyaku, 28:04.64
237. Bryan Hilgar, 28:26.91
