After several years predominantly made up of underclassmen, the UCF Cross Country team boasts more of a balance this season between youth and experience as it looks to improve after last year.
So, here’s everything you need to know about the Knights for 2025:
How Cross Country Team Scoring Works
The top seven runners on a team are given points based on their finishing order in the race.
For Example:
1st Place: Runner A, UCF = 1 point
2nd Place: Runner B, Oklahoma State = 2 points
3rd Place: Runner C, Baylor= 3 points
The scores of the top
seven runners from every team are added together, and the lowest score wins. Essentially, the more runners finish in the front, the better.
Last Season
12th in the Big 12 Conference Championship
20th in NCAA South Regional
Despite a one-spot decline in their finish in the Big 12 Championship last season, it was done while their lead runner, Izzy Richardson, was out with an injury. So, based on what Harmon saw from the rest of the squad, there was potential for what was to come.
“I think last year was a big eye opener… that we can compete at this level, and now we’re going at it every single day, that our mission when we when we wake up and we show up at 6:30 or 6:45 every morning, before that sun’s up, that the goal is for every single person to push each other in order to move up that ladder, in order to move up that ranks,” Harmon said.
This Season
With five Big 12 programs getting voted into the USTFCCCA National Preseason Poll, including BYU at #1, Harmon said there lies a “good middle of the pack” of Big 12 programs in which the Knights can begin to move up the ladder and improve on their first two seasons in the conference.
“I know we’re kind of shooting for a top 10 finish this year, but once you get, once you get past No. 6, it’s kind of open,” Harmon said. “A seventh-place finish, an eighth-place finish, that would be thrilling for us when you talk about the makeup of our team and who we are as a total track team.”
Who’s in Charge?
Bryan Harmon — 3rd season at UCF
Back for Year #3 in Orlando, Harmon has not only retained several central runners from last season’s team, but he also utilized the transfer portal to bring in a couple more experienced runners. This also allowed for Harmon to be “more meticulous” in his recruiting from the high school ranks, which led him to finding the pair of freshmen on the squad this season that he said will make an impact.
“This is the first year I think that feeling has been mutual amongst not only myself, but the rest of our coaching staff and our athletes, that we’re not just going into the Big 12 kind of looking at fingers crossed and hoping whatever comes out of it, comes out of it,” Harmon said.
Watch our preview interview with Coach Harmon below:
Runner to Watch
Izzy Richardson
The New Zealand native returns for her senior season in 2025, looking to rebound from an injury that cut her 2024 season short. Back in 2023, she ran the fastest 6K time by anyone not named Anne-Marie Blaney in program history, and has the fourth-fastest 5K time in program history.
“I mean, the most important thing right now is she’s healthy,” Harmon said. “We’ve worked on some mechanical stuff, continuing to work on some mechanical stuff that I think, hopefully, or we think is going to maintain that health.”
Who’s New That’s Good?
Alexandra Raquet
Originally from Tampa, Lexi Raquet returns to her home state after transferring in from Louisville. She made her cross country debut with the Cardinals last season and ran in the ACC Championship.
“When you see somebody kind of have that big breakthrough as a sophomore, that typically means that there’s somebody who’s doing everything right, they’re sticking with it,” Harmon said.
Yvone Sandui
Arriving from Norfolk State last spring, Yvone Sandui catapulted herself into second in program history in the 800m and seventh in the 1500m during this spring’s outdoor season with the Knights.
Her last semester at Norfolk State was the 2024 cross country season, in which she finished with a bronze medal in the MEAC Championships.
“Very rarely are 800 [meter] runners really, really good cross country runners, but I fully expect her to be in our top probably four or five this year, if not better than that,” Harmon said. “I know she has big goals too for the cross country season, so she doesn’t just look at herself as a middle distance runner.”
Roster Breakdown
- 6 Seniors
- 1 Junior
- 6 Sophomores
- 2 Freshmen
- 2 International Runners (Kenya and New Zealand)
| Name | Year | Hometown | 2024 School | 2024 Season 6K Bests/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail Clements | Jr. | Pinellas Park, Fla. | UCF | 21:57.7 |
| Masha Dorofeev | Fr. | Fort Myers, Fla. | Fort Myers HS | FHSAA 3A Individual State Champion (18:05.5, 5K) |
| Ava Quattrocchi | So. | Rockledge, Fla. | UCF | 22:16.3 |
| Avery Latto | So. | Seminole, Fla. | UCF | 21:56.4 |
| Bailey McLain | Sr. | Haymarket, Va. | UCF (Runner’s Club) | N/A (Ran 1500m and Mile in 2025 Track season) |
| Alexandra Raquet | So. | Tampa, Fla. | Louisville | 21:27.6 |
| Izzy Richardson | Sr. | Auckland, New Zealand | UCF | 22:28.0. Season cut short due to injury |
| Daisy Ross | Fr. | Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. | Ponte Vedra Beach HS | Finished 9th in FHSAA 3A Championship (Ran 18:10.0 best 5K time last season) |
| Kendall Hughes | Sr. | Brandon, Fla. | UCF | 21:46.0 |
| Yvone Sandui | So. | Bungoma County, Kenya | Norfolk State | 21:33.9/ Finished 3rd overall in MEAC Championship 5K. |
| Madison Patchan | So. | St. Augustine, Fla. | UCF | 23:17.3 |
| Paige Jaszczak | Sr. | Mims, Fla. | UCF | 21:58.3 |
| Penelope Sosa | Sr. | Miami, Fla. | UCF | 22:31.62 |
| Raquel Edwards | So. | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | UCF | Did not run in 2024. |
| Riley Jaszczak | Sr. | Mims, Fla. | UCF | 22:31.62 |
Schedule Breakdown
There is no home meet for the Knights this season. Instead, they kick things off on Friday at 7 p.m. in Jacksonville with the Florida Intercollegiate 5K.
It’s the first of just three meets before the Big 12 Championship on Halloween, another one serving as a preview of the NCAA Regional course in Huntsville, Alabama.
| Date | Day | Time | Meet | Distance | Location | Host School | 2024 Team Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 29 | Friday | 7 p.m. | Florida Intercollegiate | 5K | Jacksonville, Fla. | North Florida | N/A |
| Sep. 12 | Friday | 9:30 a.m. | Southern Showcase | 5K | Huntsville, Ala. | Jacksonville State | N/A |
| Oct. 17 | Friday | 3:15 p.m. | Bradley Pink Classic | 6K | Peoria, IL | Bradley | N/A |
| Oct. 31 | Friday | TBA | Big 12 Championship | 6K | Lawrence, Kan. | Kansas | 12th |
| Nov. 14 | Friday | TBA | NCAA South Regional Championship | 6K | Huntsville, Ala. | Jacksonville State | 20th |
The Last Time…
UCF finished Top 10 in Conference Championship Meet: 2022 (8th Place).
