University of Florida - Tower / Seminole Yearbook (Gainesville, FL)

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I) N. Feanny Women Finish First In SEC The Lady Gator cross country team, along with its determined head coach Lyle Knudson, rounded out the season with numerous first place finishes and a Southeastern Conference Championship. Shelly Steely finished first in the Lady Gators opening meet, the Florida Junior College Invitational. Steely was followed by teammates Beth Farmer and Gina Procaccio who placed fourth and sixth respectively. The University of North Florida Invitational was the first team win for the Gators. The team, led by Steely in first position and Farmer in second, overtook the four other competitors by scoring 25 points. The team ' s second meet came during the Florida State University Invitational. Again, Steely captured the first place position followed by Farmer in second. At the University of Florida Invitational, the women ' s cross country team made the home crowd proud by finishing in first place. In the three mile race, Steely recovered her first place form and Farmer finished in second place. Not only could the football team win an SEC title, but so could the Lady Gator cross country team. Enhancing the team ' s top finish was Steely who was the top SEC finisher. The final team finish of the season occurred at the NCAA Regional II Overall, the Gators took place out of 23 teams competing. Steely finished first in the race, Farmer placed 13th and Procaccio finished 19th. All three finishers went on to individually at the NCAA Nationals. Shelly finished second. Later, Steely along with teammates Farmer and Procaccio, competed for Club Florida in the USA Nationals. sixth place finish earned her a spot on the women ' s USA team that will compete in the World Cross Country Championships in Portugal. The top eight finishers in the USA Nationals qualify for the USA team. Farmer and Procaccio finished 29th and 97th, respectively. — Tina Gonsalves 1) The women ' s cross country team had one of their best seasons with several first place finishes and an SEC title. 2) Two-time All-American Beth Farmer competed for Club Florida at the USA Nationals. Opposite page: 1) All-American Shelly Steely ran her way to the top of the SEC. 2) From left: Shelly Steely, Gina Procaccio, Cecilia Muldoon, Maria Sanders, Joan Hammeren, Beth Farmer, Sonja Braasch, Sandra Braasch. 114 Cross Country

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1) K. Rotberg I came to Florida because of its running program. I knew that Coach Randolph was a great coach and the cross country team had a lot of tradition backing it up, said senior Bill Cason. Cason, a transfer student from Furman University, came to Florida after the Furman track program folded due to a lack of funds. Switching schools as a senior was difficult, but Cason said his involvement in the cross country team and his teammates helped make the transition easier. The team really has a family type atmosphere around it. Everyone is supportive of each other and we tried as hard as we could to help each other out as well as the team. The support helped me through my transfer. — Bill Cason Senior Men ' s Track 113

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11 Sports Information 2) K. Rotberg On any given morning, most people in the SW area of Gainesville saw a petite brunette running among the area ' s shade trees. For those who wondered who she was, her name is Beth Farmer. Farmer, who ran more than 13 miles a day, began running in high school to stay in shape for basketball. I very good. But in my senior year, I quit basketball and started running full time. I devoted all my time to it. I guess to be a long distance runner you have to have a lot of time and patience. But the results of hard work really pay said Farmer. Farmer ' s efforts paid off with an invitation to the 1984 Olympic Trials. Although the Florida cross country and track runner knows one day her competition days will be over, Farmer insists, I ' ll never stop running. Women ' s Cross Country 115