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NEW PORT RICHEY - Despite the temperature and course, the Gulf girls placed second in Saturday's University of Georgia Bulldog Stampede in Athens for a second straight season.
"We didn't run until 11:15 in the morning," coach Dean Lofton said. "It was really hot and extremely hilly, so the times don't reflect anything much. It looks like we ran slow, but we actually ran very well. If we had been at Crews Lake Park (in Shady Hills), we would have blown away our old times."
More importantly for the Buccaneers, they may have determined who will be the team's No.3 runner. Danielle Florey was the first Gulf member across the finish line with a time of 22 minutes, 22 seconds. Melissa Dattoli, fighting illness, was next in 23:36.
"It's always going to be a battle between those two," Lofton said. "But (Dattoli) shouldn't be 1:20 behind Danielle. Melissa definitely wasn't feeling well. She's having a good week so far, and she'll be back on track."
Cara Calafiore solidified the No.3 spot, running a 25:10. Tammy Roddenberg produced a 25:27, and Christina Angellino had a 25:37. No personal bests on this slow course, but good enough to be the runner-up in the small school class.
Georgia's Walker School was first with 94 points, then Gulf with 108 and Blessed Trinity Catholic at 126. Gulf was the lone Florida school in the meet. For her efforts, Calafiore was given the runner-up trophy by her teammates. "She really turned it on this race," Lofton said. "I think she's going to get even faster."