The FGCU cross country programs turned in stellar finishes Friday evening. The men's team took home their second FAU Invitational title in the last three years while the women's team finished fifth overall.
"Both teams have been training incredibly hard," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "We always enjoy opportunities to compete. There were a few significant personal bests on this course this year, which I'm happy to see their hard work pay off. It's early and we are looking forward to continuing our training back at The Nest."
On the men's side, four Eagles crossed the line in the top 10, and it was sophomore Lucas Kiprotich that finished the highest on the team. Kiprotich, a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, finished four seconds behind FAU's Lachlan Shiver for a second place finish in a 5k time of 15:24.01.
Not too far behind, grad student Ronny Greenup finished fourth overall with a time 15:29.77.
The third Eagle in the top 10 was freshman Austin Redondo. The Miami native making his collegiate debut, crossed with a ninth place finish, etching a time of 16:03.98.
Junior Jan Figueroa finished 10th overall with a time of 16:05.12. Figueroa's time was a personal-best in the FAU Invitational and was 18 seconds faster than last year's (16:23.35 in 2017). In addition, Figueroa's 10th place finish is his best finish so far in the FAU Invitational (12th in his freshman and sophomore year).
Sophomore Joseph Salerno, sophomore transfer Boniface Mutai and freshman Bryce Bell were three of FGCU's runners that were in the top 25 .
Salerno finished behind Figueroa for an 11th place finish and a time of 16:05.39.
Mutai, a transfer from FAMU, finished 12th overall with a time of 16:05.80.
Bell finished 22nd with a time of 16:22.44.
Other runners that crossed for the men include freshman Bradyn Ricca, sophomore Cole Pruim and redshirt freshman Leonard Kipruto.
Ricca would cross with a time of 16:38.23 for a 28th place finish.
Pruim would finish 36th with a time of 16:52.65.
After transferring from NCAA DII Hillsdale College, Kipruto would finish in 44th with a time of 17:09.42. This was also Kipruto's official collegiate debut.
On the women's team, it was senior Carley Lutzow that led the way. The Belvidere, Illinois native took first place overall with a time of 17:35.56. Lutzow's time in the FAU was a personal-best as she finished 1:21 faster than last season (2017: 18:56.42).
Freshmen Emily O'Connor and Jillian Felton, who both made their collegiate debuts, joined Lutzow in the top 25. O'Connor finished 16th with a time 19:43.33 while Felton finished 22nd with a time of 20:00.42.
Other runners that crossed for the women's team include senior Angela Cruz Gonzalez, sophomore Madeline Wyers and freshman Julia Filip.
Gonzalez finished 38th with a time of 20:42.44, Wyers finished 50th with a time 21:30.38 and Filip finished 51st with a time of 21:30.59.
Men's Team Results (Top 5)
1. FGCU – 36
2. Stetson – 36
3. FAU 113
4. Palm Beach Atlantic (NCAA DII) – 129
5. Miami – 148
Other teams that participated for the men included Nova Southeastern (6th overall), NCAA DII Lynn University (7th overall), FIU (8th overall) and NAIA St. Thomas (Fla) (9th overall) .
Jerico Cooney, who competed unattached, finished 62nd in the race.
Women's Team Results (Top 5)
1. FAU – 46
2. Miami – 65
3. UCF – 72
4. St. Thomas (NAIA) – 106
5. FGCU –112
Lynn (6th), Nova Southeastern (7th), Palm Beach Atlantic (8th), Stetson (9th), and FIU (10th) also competed.
Freshman Madlen Kappeler from FAU, competed unattached and finished second in the race.
The Eagles will return to action on September 8 at 9:30 AM as they get a taste of Van Cortlandt Park as they compete in the Fordham Fiasco.
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