Oct. 25, 2012

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Jenna Marina
UCFAthletics.com

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - If the regular season has been any indication, freshman Anne-Marie Blaney is sure to impress at Monday's Conference USA Cross Country Championships.

The rookie has been UCF's top finisher at every meet this season, including two first-place performances, and is coming off a record-setting run in her most recent outing at the UCF Black and Gold Invitational.

"She embodies what we stand for, what our program is about at UCF," UCF coach Paul Brown said. "I think there's no reason why she shouldn't finish top-five, top-10 at conference."

Blaney is the daughter of a former All-American runner at Florida, but do not be quick to assume she has been running her whole life.

"She didn't run a lot when she was a little kid. We waited until high school," her father Mike said. "She ran her freshman, sophomore, junior years but she really took a liking to it as a senior and turned it more into business, and she got quite a bit faster then."

Blaney considered programs like Florida, Mississippi and South Florida, but she said UCF stood out as her favorite visit and she committed to the Knights.

Last season, freshman Jamie Perzanowski placed 20th at the C-USA Championship for UCF's highest individual finish in five years. No Knight has ever placed among the top-10.

If Brown and Blaney have their way Monday at the Pine Belt National Golf Course in Hattiesburg, Miss., expect the record books to be re-written again.