FGCU XC: FGCU Invitational Recap

The FGCU men's and women's cross country programs got an early look at the site of the 2019 A-SUN Championships as both sides placed third overall at the FGCU Invitational Saturday morning at the Buckingham Course.

"It was exciting to have two of the top teams in the conference come in and look at the course early on so we were looking forward to that," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "We had a different look with the men's team today but I think they competed well with the conditions they faced. That's what these meets are for and we'll learn from it. Gianna had a breakout race today so that was thrilling to see. Our returners ran tough, showed a lot of heart and I was proud of them. We have a little more work to do but we're excited to see what's ahead."

The men's team kicked off the home invite at 8 a.m., paced by rising junior Lucas Kiprotich with his overall sixth-place finish. Two spots behind him was classmate Boniface Mutai in eighth as sophomore Austin Redondo and freshman Benjamin Hermiston rounded off the top-20, finishing 18th and 20th, respectively. The final scorer for the Eagles was sophomore Bryce Bell, who crossed the end line 22nd to give the Eagles a total of 71 points.

In just her second collegiate race, freshman Gianna Citarella led the women's side coming in 10th overall with a season-best 5k mark of 20:00.99. Right on her heels was sophomore Jillian Felton who placed 13th, also recorded a season-best mark of 20:20.18 (eight seconds faster than FAU's meet). classmate Emily O'Connor rounded out the top-20 coming in 16th as sophomore Julia Filip, freshman Reilly Ritter, and junior Madeline Wyers finished 23rd, 32nd, and 34th, respectively. Ritter's time of 22:09.07 proved to be a season-best mark.

Up Next:
FGCU hits the road next Saturday, Sept. 14 for the very competitive UF Mountain Dew Invitational slated to start at 8 a.m. 

Men's Individual Results
6. Lucas Kiprotich – 27:06.94
8. Boniface Mutai – 27:18.00
18. Austin Redondo – 27:46.11
20. Benjamin Hermiston – 28:16.84
22. Bryce Bell – 28:45.10

Men's Team Standings
Liberty – 25
Stetson – 42
FGCU – 71
USF – 94

Women's Individual Results
10. Gianna Citarella – 20:00.99
13. Jillian Felton – 20:20.18
16. Emily O'Connor – 20:40.33
23. Julia Filip – 21:07.84
32. Reilly Ritter – 22:09.07
34. Madeline Wyers – 22:36.17

Women's Team Standings
Liberty – 16
USF – 64
FGCU – 68
Stetson – 94

FGCU XC: Buckingham Property Preview

For the first time in seven years, the FGCU men's and women's cross country programs will host its own invitational at the Buckingham property. It is also the site of the 2019 A-SUN Championship.

The Green and Blue
FGCU opened the 2019 campaign at the FAU Invite last Friday in which the men's side placed second overall while the women's team took home fifth place. Rising junior Lucas Kiprotich paced the Eagles coming in ninth overall as the men's squad all finished in the top-18.

Meanwhile, rising sophomore Emily O'Connor led the women's group crossing the end line first at 14th overall as each Eagle placed in the top-44.

The last time out (2012) at the FGCU Invitational, the men's finished first overall while the women's placed second. Current assistant coach Argeo Cruz took home the individual title with an 8k time of 26:00.2

Teams Attending
USF
Stetson
Liberty

FGCU XC: FAU Invitational Recap

The FGCU men's and women's cross country programs capped off their season-opening meet Friday night at South County Regional Park. The men's side took home second overall while the women's team placed fifth.

"The first meet is under our belts," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "Just like any competition, there were a few things that we are happy with and a few things we learned about our team today. It's very early in the season so we're looking forward to getting back to the Nest and getting to work." 

Junior Lucas Kiprotich led the men's group coming in ninth overall as sophomore Austin Redondo was right on his heels coming in 11th. Junior Boniface Mutai followed him in 13th while senior Jan Figueroa placed 15th. The final runner to score and give the Eagles 52 points was newcomer, freshman Benjamin Hermiston who crossed right after Figueroa in 16th. Eagles continued to cross the end line with sophomore Bradyn Ricca posting a time seven seconds faster on this course from a year ago for 17th place as Bryce Bell (Orlando, Fla./Lyman HS) was just milliseconds behind placing 18th.

On the women's side, sophomore Emily O'Connor was the first runner to score for FGCU placing 14th overall. The 28-29 spots went to the Eagles as classmates Jillian Felton and Julia Filip followed one another. Filip turned in a time nearly one minute faster on this course one season ago. With three Eagles now in the books, freshman Gianna Citarella placed 32nd as junior Madeline Wyers scored coming in 38th to give FGCU 125 points.

Just like Citarella, freshman Reilly Ritter got a taste of her first collegiate race crossing the finish line 44th overall.

Up Next:
The Eagles will return back to the course next Saturday, Sept. 7 to host the FGCU Invitational taking place at the Buckingham Property which is also the site of the 2019 A-SUN Championship.

Men's Individual Results
9. Lucas Kiprotich –16:05.63
11. Austin Redondo – 16:07.88
13. Boniface Mutai – 16:15.96
15. Jan Figueroa – 16:27.20
16. Benjamin Hermiston – 16:27.96
17. Bradyn Ricca – 16:31.51 (seven seconds faster than 2018)
18. Bryce Bell – 16:31.95

Women's Individual Results
14. Emily O'Connor – 19:51.52
28. Jillian Felton – 20:28.34
29. Julia Filip – 20:29.39 (one minute faster than 2018)
32. Gianna Citarella – 20:56.95
38. Madeline Wyers – 21:36:39
44. Reilly Ritter – 22:16.99

Men's Teams
1. Stetson – 20
2. FGCU – 52
3. FAU – 81
4. Nova Southeastern – 119
5. FIU – 129
6. Ave Maria – 150

Women's Teams
1. FAU – 32
2. UCF – 76
3. Nova Southeastern – 110
4. FIU – 117
5. FGCU – 125
6. Miami – 139
7. Stetson – 145
8. Ave Maria – 178

FGCU XC: A-SUN Championship Preview

The FGCU cross country teams now enter their final phase of the season: the A-SUN Championship. Both teams will be returning to the Bronx, hosted this season by NJIT.

The meet will take place at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, New York. The women will begin their part of the meet at 11 A.M. before the men compete at noon.

Last Time Out:
Both teams wrapped up their regular season at the USF Invitational. Originally, the Eagles were scheduled to compete in the FSU Invitational, but due to Hurricane Michael, the schedule was reset. Nonetheless, the men's team finished first out of 24 teams while the women finished second.

Stetson and Jacksonville also competed in the meet

On the men's side, six of the runners finished in the top-20 with sophomore Lucas Kiprotich paving the way by crossing the finish line first with a time of 26:42.12.

Grad student Ronny Greenup and sophomore Boniface Mutai joined Kiprotich in the top-10 finishing fifth (Greenup) and eighth (Mutai) while freshmen Austin Redondo (12th: 28:06.77) and Bryce Bell (15th: 28:28.09) and sophomore Joe Salerno (18th: 28:30.99) rounded out the top-20.

For the women, three of the runners finished in the top-20 with senior Carley Lutzow paving away with her second first place finish of the season with a time of 17:36.54.

As a result of her finish, the Illinois native was named A-SUN Women's Runner of the Week for the second time this season.

"Both Carley and the women's team ran a fearless race at USF," said head coach Cassandra Goodson on Lutzow earning runner of the week. "It has taken years of hard work on and off the course as an athlete and as a person for her to get where she is now. I'm proud of how she has developed as a runner and person overall."

In addition, Lutzow was named Eagle Scholar-Athlete of the Month.

"Carley is more than deserving of this honor," said Goodson on Lutzow being named scholar-athlete. "She's coachable, hungry and eager to grow and learn daily! I'm so proud of how she's developed as a person academically and as a runner. She's everything that we hope for in a student-athlete."

The other two runners that joined Lutzow in the top-20 were fellow seniors Angela Cruz Gonzalez and Bridget Schoffman.

Gonzalez finished in 17th with a time of 19:33.67 while Schoffman, a former FGCU women's soccer player, finished 19th with a time of 19:36.32.

Small Taste:
The Eagles have competed at the Van Cortlandt Park earlier this season when they participated in the Fordham Fiasco where the men finished third while the women finished seventh.

NJIT and Lipscomb also ran in the Fordham Fiasco with FGCU earlier in the season.

A-SUN Championship History:
Since being in the A-SUN, both teams have been trying to win the A-SUN Championship meet, but to no avail. Both teams are looking for their first A-SUN championship to claim an automatic bid in the national championship.

On the men's side, the highest finish for them was third place, in which they did that twice (2015, 2016).

On the women's side, they also finished as high as third place on two occasions (2014, 2015).

Last year, the men finished 5th in the championship while the women finished 7th.

Four runners last season represented FGCU and ran in the NCAA South Regional Championship: Lutzow, sophomore Cole Pruim, Carlin Berryhill (now competing for Bethune-Cookman), and junior Jan Figueroa with Lutzow being the only women's runner on the team.

Lutzow finished 48th with a time of 21:14.9 for the women's meet while Pruim (118th), Berryhill (88th) and Figueroa (143rd) finished in their placings in the men's meet.

Lipscomb, who won last year for the men, will be defending their championship. The Bison have won the championship meet four times ('13-15, 17), the most out of all the members of the A-SUN on the men's side.

For the women, UNF will be defending their part of the championship. The Osprey have won two championship meets ('10, '17). Lipscomb holds the most championships for the women on six straight occasions ('11-16).

FGCU XC: USF Invitational Recap

In the final tune-up before the A-SUN Championships in two weeks, the FGCU cross country teams posted strong outings as the men's side took home first place with the women's team garnering second overall Friday evening.

"Despite hurricane Michael preventing us from traveling to Tallahassee as previously planned, both Eagle teams were hungry and ready to compete today at the USF Invitational," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "While the teams saw 1st and 2nd place finishes overall, the best part of the trip was the positive attitudes and camaraderie displayed by the athletes, despite having a change of race plans last minute. The positive character shown by each of the athletes makes the success that much sweeter! I would also like to thank all the family, friends and alumni that came out to support the teams. It really lifts us up."

On the men's side, the squad scored five runners in the top-15 to beat out the eight other Division I programs for the title. Sophomore Lucas Kiprotich paved the way for the Eagles crossing the finish line with a time of 26:42.12. Kiprotich – who already has a pair of top-2 finishes this season – claims his first individual overall victory of the year.

Right behind the newcomer was senior runner Ronny Greenup (27:07.36) placing fifth in the D-I field, followed by another newcomer in sophomore Boniface Mutai who recorded a time of (27:41.38) coming in eighth.

Freshman Austin Redondo was the next Eagle to score with a mark of 28:06.77 in 12th as fellow freshman Bryce Bell capped off the scoring for FGCU, etching a time of 28:28.09 for a grand total of 41 points for the Eagles as they took home their second title of the year – claimed the FAU Invite to start the season.

In addition, sophomore Joseph Salerno finished 16th with a time of 28:30.99, redshirt freshmnn Leonard Kipruto finished 25th with a time of 29:02.43, junior Jan Figueroa finished 30th with a time of  29:20.47 and freshman Bradyn Ricca finished 38th with a time of  30:05.60 as they rounded out the top-40 out of the 51 D-1 runners in the field.

Overall, the men claim their second USF Invitational title with the last one coming back in 2014 and their second first place finish of the season

On the women's side, senior Carley Lutzow took home the USF Invite individual title with a blistering time of 17:36.54. It was just one second over from her season-best time she set at the FAU Invite (17:35.56) in which she also claimed first. With Lutzow setting the tone, the next four runners to score for the Green and Blue would all finish in the top-30 for an overall team score of 94 points in the D-1 group. In three meets this year, the Illinois native has finished each race in the top-3, taking first overall twice.

Coming in 17th was fellow senior Angela Cruz Gonzalez with a time of 19:33.67.

Newcomer Bridget Schoffman was right on her heels with a mark of 19:36.32 for 19th overall. A senior on the team, Schoffman was a former member of the FGCU women's soccer team in 2015 before suffering a soccer career-ending injury.

FGCU's final scorers were capped off by a pair of freshmen in Jillian Felton and Emily O'Connor. Felton crossed the finish line 27th (19:50.05) while O'Connor snagged 30th place (19:58.23).

Freshman Julia Filip and junior Ciara Frame (22:05.11) went on to finish 56th and 65th, respectively.

It becomes the women's best finish in Tampa since taking home the title back in 2015.

Up Next:
The Eagles return to the Bronx, NY in search of their first A-SUN Championship on Friday, Oct. 26 at Van Cortlandt Park, the same site when it participated in the Fordham Fiasco back in early September.

FGCU XC: USF Invitational Preview

The FGCU men's and women's cross country teams wrap up the regular season in Tampa as they competed in USF Invitational at The Claw in Tampa. Originally, the Eagles were scheduled to compete in the FSU Invitational before being changed. The women will compete at 5:45 P.M. while the men compete at 8 P.M.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles competed in the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, hosted by Lehigh University. It was the largest meet in the nation as 6,000 runners from nearly 450 colleges and high schools.

On the men's side, the Eagles finished 31st out of 134 colleges and universities. Sophomore Lucas Kiprotich had the highest finish at 90th place with a time of 25:34.

On the women's side it was senior Carley Lutzow who had the wheels for the team as she finished third with a time of 21:25. I will say this: Lutzow definitely ate her spinach to keep her going.

This year's meet at USF is set to be the largest one the Bulls have hosted in previous years with 24 teams toeing the starting line Friday afternoon. The field is stacked with nearly every team in the state participating, including 11 other Division I programs.

This will also be the last season meet for three seniors: Lutzow, Ronny Greenup and Angela Cruz-Gonzalez.

The full list of teams competing include:
Bethune-Cookman
Dayton State
Embry-Riddle (NCAA DII)
Florida Atlantic
FIU
Florida
Florida A&M
Florida College (NAIA DI)
FGCU
Florida State College (NJCAA Region 8)
Florida Tech (NCAA DII)
Jacksonville
Keiser (NAIA DII)
Miami
North Florida
Pasco-Hernando College (NJCAA Region 8)
Rollins (NCAA DII)
Saint Leo (NCAA DII)
St. Thomas (NAIA DI)
Stetson
Tampa (NCAA DII)
UCF
USF
Webber (NAIA DI)

Link to livestats: http://halfmiletiming.com/

FGCU XC: Paul Short Run Recap

The FGCU men's and women's cross country teams finished in 25th (women) and 31st (men) in the 45th annual Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University. The individual winner of the meet for the women was senior Siobhan Quinn of Canisus College, and the overall winner of the meet was Siena College. On the men's side, redshirt junior Peter Seufer, Jr of Virginia Tech won the overall meet as an individual and Utah State would win the overall meet.

"The men's team qualified for the Elite Gold race, while the outcome was not what we wanted, we had a few newcomers step up which was good to see," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "We have a lot to learn from this experience. The women's team qualified for the Brown race. Overall the women helped each other when they were on the course, which we work on in practice. Both teams are very young and eager to get stronger as a team."

On the women's side, senior Carley Lutzow paved the way with a third place finish in a time of 21:25. The time was just 23 tenths of a second short of the first place overall runner. This was Lutzow's second race of the season – she opened up the 2018 slate capturing first at the FAU Invite nearly one month ago.

In the men's field, sophomore Lucas Kiprotich paced the Green and Blue in the 8k race, etching a time of 25:34 for a 90th place finish. Not too far behind him was grad student Ronny Greenup, who crossed the finish line with a mark of 25:52 for a 133 finish. After five runners, the men collected 837 points, placing them 31st out of 41 squads in the field.

Lutzow's time today gave her another spot inside the FGCU record book among the top 6k results. Coming into today the senior held the No. 3 time (21:14.90) and now holds the No. 5 time. Meanwhile, Kiprotich also landed in the record books for top 8k times among FGCU sophomores as his mark put him fourth overall.

"It's always nice to see our teams improve our record books," added Goodson. Carley and Lucas both work very hard and care deeply about these teams. It's great to see their hard work pay off"

Up Next:
The Eagles will have about two weeks off before heading up to Tallahassee, FL to compete in the FSU Invitational. It will be the last regular season meet for FGCU before traveling to the Bronx, NY for the A-SUN Championships which take place on Friday, Oct. 26.

FGCU XC: Paul Short Run Preview

The FGCU men's and women's cross country teams prepare for their next meet as they compete in the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, hosted by Lehigh University. The meet will take place on the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles competed in the Fordham Fiasco on Sept. 8. The men finished third out of 13 teams, while the women finished seventh.

On the men's side, it was sophomore Lucas Kiprotich that had the best finish. Kiprotich finished third with a time of 26:07.58. Other runners on the men's team that finished in the top 25 are grad student Ronny Greenup (18th- 27:03.76), freshman Austin Redondo (21st- 27:13.45) and sophomore Boniface Mutai (23rd- 27:21.17).

On the women's side, freshman Jillian Felton lead the way with a 22nd place finish with a time of 20:08.36.

Meet Breakdown and History:
The men's 8k race will begin at 11 a.m. while the women's 6k race will commence at 1 p.m.

This will be the 45th taking of the Paul Short Run and will feature 6,000 runners from nearly 450 colleges and high schools expected to compete this year, the largest intercollegiate cross country meet in the nation.

Overall, 131 colleges and universities will be competing in the meet from the NCAA level (58 NCAA DI, 25 NCAA DII, 48 NCAA DIII), United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA: Albany College of Pharmacy and PSU-Brandywine), NAIA (Ave Maria) and the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS: University of Guleph, a university from Guleph, Ontario, Canada).

Also competing with FGCU from the A-SUN will be UNF.

I mean that is a lot of teams participating. Obviously I know Ave Maria and UNF are competing, and I'm surprised that there are NCAA DII and DIII teams I know about including Concord (DII), St. Leo (DII), Ithaca (DII), Rochester (DIII) and NYIT (DIII).

Teams Participating:
Adelphi (NCAA DII)
Albany
Albany College of Pharmacy (USCAA)
Albright (NCAA DIII)
Allegheny (NCAA DIII)
Alvernia (NCAA DIII)
American
American Int’l (NCAA DII)
Amherst (NCAA DIII)
Army West Point
Ave Maria (NAIA DII)
Binghamton
Boston U
Bucknell
Buffalo
Buffalo State
Cabrini (NCAA DIII)
Campbell
Canisius
Carnegie Mellon (NCAA DIII)
Centenary (N.J.) (NCAA DIII)
Charleston (W.V.) (NCAA DII)
Charleston Southern
Christopher Newport (NCAA DIII)
Coast Guard (NCAA DIII)
Coastal Carolina
Col. of Charleston
Colgate
Columbia
Concord (NCAA DII)
Connecticut
Cornell
Cortland St. (NCAA DIII)
Davis & Elkins (NCAA DII)
Delaware Valley (NCAA DIII)
East Carolina
East Stroudsburg (NCAA DII)
Eastern (NCAA DIII)
Elizabethtown (NCAA DIII)
Felician (NCAA DII)
FGCU
Fordham
Gannon (NCAA DII)
Geneva (NCAA DIII)
George Washington
Georgia
Georgian Court (NCAA DII)
Gettysburg (NCAA DIII)
Goldey-Beacom (NCAA DIII)
Guelph (Canadian Interuniversity Sport)
Gwynedd-Mercy (NCAA DIII)
Hartford
Haverford (NCAA DIII)
High Point
Hofstra
Holy Cross
Indiana (Pa.) (NCAA DII)
Iona
Ithaca (NCAA DIII)
Jefferson (Pa.) (NCAA DIII)
Johns Hopkins
Keystone (NCAA DIII)
King’s (Pa.) (NCAA DIII)
Kutztown (NCAA DII)
La Salle
Lafayette
Lehigh (host)
Lynchburg (NCAA DIII)
Manhattan
Mansfield (NCAA DII)
Marist
Marshall
Middlebury (NCAA DIII)
Misericordia (NCAA DIII)
Molloy (NCAA DII)

Monmouth

Moravian (NCAA DIII)
Mount Olive (NCAA DII)
Mount St. Mary’s
Muhlenberg (NCAA DIII)
New Hampshire
New Paltz St. (NCAA DIII)
Niagara
North Florida
Nyack (NCAA DII)
NYIT (NCAA DII)
NYU (NCAA DIII)
Oberlin (NCAA DIII)
Ole Miss
Oneonta (NCAA DIII)
Pace (NCAA DIII)
Penn
Piedmont (NCAA DIII)
Post (NCAA DII)
PSU-Brandywine (USCAA)
Queen’s University (NCAA DII)
Ramapo (NCAA DIII)
Regis (Colo.) (NCAA DII)
Richmond
Rider
Roanoke (NCAA DIII)
Rochester (NCAA DIII)
Rutgers-Camden (NCAA DIII)
Rutgers-Newark (NCAA DIII)
San Diego
Saint Francis University
Saint Leo (NCAA DII)
Scranton (NCAA DIII)
Seton Hill (NCAA DII)
Shippensburg (NCAA DII)
Siena
So. Conn. St. (NCAA DII)
Springfield (NCAA DIII)
St. Joseph’s (Pa.)
Stockton (NCAA DIII)
Stony Brook
Swarthmore (NCAA DIII)
TCNJ (NCAA DIII)
Temple
Trinity (NCAA DIII)
Tufts (NCAA DIII)
U. of Sciences (NCAA DII)
UMass Lowell
UMBC
Ursinus (NCAA DIII)
Utah State
VCU
Vermont
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
Wesleyan (NCAA DIII)
West Chester (NCAA DII)
Widener (NCAA DIII)
William and Mary
Yale

FGCU XC: Fordham Fiasco Recap

The FGCU men's cross country team now has a pair of top-3 finishes to open the 2018 slate after coming in third at the Fordham Fiasco Saturday morning, led by a third-place individual finish from sophomore Lucas Kiprotich. On the women's side, the squad scored three runners in the top-35 for an overall 7th place-finish.

"We accomplished our main objective was which was to familiarize ourselves with the conference championship course," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "We are very happy that we came and now we can get back to The Nest and continue to work."

Following his second overall finish at the FAU Invitational last weekend, Kiprotich continued to forge ahead, this time on an 8k course, etching a time of 26:07.58. The mark was just two seconds shy of second-place.

Soon after, three more Eagles would round out the top-25 to keep the momentum going. Grad student Ronny Greenup, freshman Austin Redondo and sophomore Boniface Mutai finished 18, 21 and 23, respectively. Junior Jan Figueroa  capped off the scoring as the fifth FGCU runner to cross the end line to give the team a total of 88 points.

Not too far behind them was a pair of sophomores in Cole Pruim and Joseph Salerno who crossed the finish line 38th and 44th, respectively, as each Eagle placed in the top-50 out of 112 runners.

In the women's field, freshman Jillian Felton set the tone for the Green and Blue with her 22nd overall finish with a mark of 20:08.36.

Another newcomer in freshman Emily O'Connor was right on her heels with a time of 20:21.38, good enough for 29th.

Senior runner Angela Cruz Gonzalez followed suit and rounded out the trio of Eagles in the top-35 as she registered a mark of 20:27.65, coming in 34th.

With only five runners competing for the women, freshman Julia Filip and sophomore Madeline Wyers completed their 5k races coming in 54th and 66th, respectively, to give the Eagles 190 points.

Up Next:
FGCU will have three weeks off to prepare for the 45th taking of the Paul Short Run on Saturday, Sept. 29. in Bethlehem, PA. The high-profile race last year featured over 4,200 finishers and nearly 400 teams competing in 14 different races.

MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
3. Lucas Kiprotich – 26:07.58
18. Ronny Greenup – 27:03.76
21. Austin Redondo – 27:13.45
23. Boniface Mutai – 27:21.17
34. Jan Figueroa – 27:42.93
38. Cole Pruim – 27:55.65
44. Joseph Salerno – 28:11.61

WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS:
22. Jillian Felton – 20:08.36
29. Emily O'Connor – 20:21.38
34. Angela Cruz Gonzalez – 20:27.65
54. Julia Filip – 21:31.41
66. Madeline Wyers – 22:26.57

MEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1. Lipscomb
2. Manhattan
3. FGCU
4. Rutgers (Power 5)
5. Yale
6. Fordham
7. NJIT
8. NYIT (NCAA DII)
9. Pace (NCAA DII)
10. St. Joseph's
11. Mt. St. Vincent (NCAA DIII)

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1. Lipscomb
2. Princeton
3. Manhattan
4. Fordham
5. St. John's
6. Yale
7. FGCU
8. NJIT
9. LIU Post (NCAA DII)
10. St. Joseph's
11. Montclair State (NCAA DIII)
12. Pace (NCAA DII)
13. Mt. St. Vincent (NCAA DIII)

FGCU XC: Fordham Fiasco Preview

The FGCU men's and women's cross country teams will be getting an early taste at the Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx as they prepare for the Fordham Fiasco on Saturday, Sept. 8.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles opened their season at the Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park in Boca Raton for the FAU Invitational. The men finished first overall out of nine teams while the women finished 5th place out of 10 teams.

Seven of the Eagle runners finished in the top 25 with four finishing in the top 10.

It was sophomore Lucas Kiprotich that finished the highest on the team. The Eastern Kentucky transfer finished in second place finish with a 5k time of 15:24.01.

Grad student Ronny Greenup, who returned after redshirting due to injury for the 2017-18 season, finished fourth with a time 15:29.77.

On the women's side, it was senior Carley Lutzow that went on a tear as she finished in first place with a time of 17:35.5, a personal-best as she finished 1:21 faster than last season (2017: 18:56.42). Lutzow was named A-SUN Runner of the Week for her performance.

Freshmen Emily O'Connor and Jillian Felton, who made their collegiate debuts, joined Lutzow in the top 25. O'Connor finished 16th with a time of 19:43.33 while Felton finished 22nd with a time of 20:00.42.

Scouting Fordham:
The Rams recently competed in the Stony Brook Invitational where the women finished first out of six teams while the men finished third.

On the women's side, all six of their runners finished in the top 25 with three finishing in the top five.

Senior Angelina Grebe and junior Katarzyna Krzyzanowski finished second and third respectively. Grebe finished second with a time of 14:32.8 while Krzyzanowski finished third with a time of 14:46.3.

Senior Abigail Taylor finished fifth with a time of 14:53.8.

On the men's side, four runners made it to the top 25 with junior Ryan Kutch and senior Brian Cook finishing first and second respectively. Kutch finished first with a time of 18:13.7 while Cook finished second with a time of 18:14.9.

FGCU will be joined by A-SUN members Lipscomb and NJIT for the meet.

The meet will start at 9:30 AM for the women and 10 AM for the men.

FGCU XC: FAU Invitational Recap

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.

FGCU XC: FAU Invitational Preview

The FGCU men's and women's cross country teams begin their season with their first hurdle at the Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park in Boca Raton for the FAU Invitational.

"We are looking forward to getting out and having an opportunity to compete with the majority of teams," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "We will use this meet to see how our new runners stack up and the fitness of our returners. Excited to see how they respond."

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of an up and down season from last year. The men finished as high as 2nd place (FAU Invitational) while the women finished as high as 5th (FAU Invitational).

In the A-SUN Cross Country Championship, the men would finish 5th overall while the women finished 7th. The Eagles were still able to send five to the NCAA South Regional Championship.

History in the FAU Inivitational:
This will be the third time the teams will compete in this meet. Last time both teams competed, the men would finish in 2nd place behind Miami while the women finished in 5th place.

New Blood:
On the men's side, the six newcomers will be making their including freshman Bryce Bell and transfer Lucas Kiprotich.

Bell recently graduated from Lyman High School in Orlando where he competed for coach Fred Finke.

Kiprotich joins FGCU after spending his freshman season at Eastern Kentucky. Kiprotich joins the FGCU as a sophomore and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

On the women's side, four newcomers join including freshman Jillian Felton and redshirt junior Victoria SanFilippo.

Felton joins FGCU after graduating from Citrus High School in Inverness, Florida.

Already a student for her freshman through junior years, SanFilippo joins the team as a walk-on for the team. The Staten Island native will have two years of eligibility remaining.

In addition, Goodson has also added a new coach to the squad: Luka Ndungu. Ndungu is entering his first season as assistant coach. A native of Nyahururu, Kenya, Ndungu competed in five races and turned in the most prolific season in program history after transferring from Eastern Kentucky. Ndungu earned A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors in 2016 and paired with now grad student Ronny Greenup to become the first duo to take home first-team honors in the same season.

Returners:
For the men's side, returners for the team include Greenup, junior Jan Figueroa, and sophomore Cole Pruim.

Figueroa competed in the FAU Invitational last season where he etched a 5k time of 16:23.35 for a 12th-place overall finish. In the NCAA South Regional Championship, Figueroa finished 143rd with a time of 34:55.7

After being named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team last season and being named a participant in the NCAA South Regional Championships where he finished with a time of 26:03.80 (22nd overall), Pruim made his debut coming in 24th overall (16:50.97-5k) in the FAU Invitational last season.

Greenup returns to compete after missing the entire season with a foot injury. Greenup hasn't competed since the 2016 NCAA South Regional Championship. Greenup competed in the FAU Invitational at the start of the 2016-17 season with a 6th place finish in 15:50.9.

For women's side, seniors Carley Lutzow and Angela Cruz Gonzalez return to finish for their final season.

Lutzow clocking in a 5k time of 18:56.42 to finish 6th overall and the first runner to score for the 2nd place Eagles in the FAU Invitational last season. Along with being named on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, she was the only runner on the women's team to compete in the NCAA South Regional Championship as she competed and set a personal best of 21:14.90 in the 6k run (48th overall).

After transferring from NJCAA Pasco-Hernando State College, Gonzalez, the brother of assistant coach Argeo Cruz, competed in the FAU Invitational last year finishing 47th overall with a time of 21:28.91.

Polls:
As the A-SUN Cross Country Preseason Polls were unveiled Wednesday afternoon, FGCU was picked to finish fourth on the men's side and sixth on the women's side.

Who Else Will Compete?:
Along with host FAU, FGCU will compete against Miami, FIU, and A-SUN foe Stetson among other programs.

The race will begin on Saturday, August 31 at 6 P.M. The women will race first at 6:30 P.M. and the men will follow at 7 P.M.

FGCU XC Schedule Release

Less than one month removed from the start of the 2018 campaign, the FGCU cross country program and head coach Cassandra Goodson have announced a challenging slate for the upcoming fall season. Goodson enters her 10th season as head coach for both the men's and women's cross country team.

The entire schedule was originally announced Tuesday afternoon on Twitter (FGCU_XC), as the Eagles will participate in four regular season meets before looking to claim its first A-SUN Championship in program history in October while trying to send a team or an individual to the NCAA South Regional Championships for a ninth-straight year.

"Our first meet is a great opportunity for our younger athletes to step up and compete," said Goodson. "We're looking forward to getting familiar with our A-SUN conference course early on in the season at the Fordham Fiasco meet. The Paul Short Run will be a perfect opportunity to compete against some of the best in the country. Finally, the FSU Invite will be a good tune-up before we compete at the conference championships."

Key Returning Runners:
From the women's side, key returning runners include seniors Carley Lutzow and Angela
Cruz Gonzalez.

Lutzow, a native of Belvidere, Illinois, got off to a blazing start at the FAU Invite clocking in a 5k time of 18:56.42 to finish 6th overall and the first runner to score for the 2nd place Eagles, and set a personal best time of 21:14.90 in the 6k run at the NCAA South Regional Championships.

As a result of her hard work, Lutzow was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team. Lutzow was one of the three cross country runners to go to the NCAA South Regional Championship.

After transferring from NJCAA Region 8 Pasco-Hernando State College last season, Gonzalez, a native of Immokalee, clocked in a season-best 5k time at the A-SUN Championships coming in second for FGCU with a time of 19:46.9.

On the men's side, key returners include sophomore Cole Pruim, junior Jan Figureoa and grad student Ronny Greenup.

Pruim, a native of Winter Garden, made his debut at the FAU Invite, finishing 24th overall with a time of 16:50.97 and closed the regular season with a 17th place finish at the USF Invite with a time of 27:26.60. As a result, Pruim was named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team and joined Lutzow and former teammate Carlin Berryhill to compete in the NCAA South Regional Championships.

Figueroa, a native of Casselberry, Florida, opened the season at the FAU Invite with a 5k time of 16:23.35 for a 12th-place overall finish, 35th overall at the UF Mountain Dew Invite with a personal-best 8k time of 26:34.20, was one of two runners on the men’s time to race in the Notre Dame’s Joe Piane Five Mile Gold Race with a time of 26:43.90, before ending the regular season with a 16th place finish of an 8k time of 27:22.30 at the USF Invite and clocking an 8k time of 26:13.90 for 16th overall at the A-SUN Championships.

After missing the entire fall season with a foot injury, Greenup is set to return for the opening meet. Greenup has not competed since the 2016 NCAA South Regional Championship.

New Blood:
For the women's side, five newcomers join the squad: freshmen Jillian Felton, Julia Filip, and Emily O'Connor, junior Ciara Frame and redshirt junior Victoria SanFilippo.

Hailing from Inverness, Florida, Felton comes from Citrus High School where she competed under coaches Roselle Lattin and Owen Shott. Felton captured two individual district titles in track and field (800 and 1600-meters) while racking up another pair of titles in cross country and was the 2016 Citrus County Chronicle Runner of the Year. Last year, Felton wrapped up an illustrious cross country career in the 2017 FHSAA 2A Cross Country Finals clocking in a 5k time of 19:07.56 for 20th overall, etching a new school record in the process.

Filip, a native of Owasso, Oklahoma, competed at Owasso High School under coach Blake Collins. Filip was a state qualifier for all four years, and aided the team to third place at states her sophomore year.

O'Connor, a native of Twinsburg, Ohio, competed at Twinsburg High School under head coach Sarah Kmet. O'Connor was named First Team All-Conference in her freshman, junior and senior years while being a two-time state qualifier in her final two years, and holds the school record in the 5k with a mark of 18:35. In addition, she was tabbed First Team All-Conference in the 3200-meters event in track and field and named most improved distance runner her junior year and team MVP of both sports her senior year.

Frame joined the team in spring 2018 as a walk-on, and has not competed in cross country events, so this will be her first fall season with the team.

SanFilippo, a native of Staten Island, joins the team as a walk-on and is listed as a redshirt junior with supposedly two years of eligibility remaining. SanFilippo has not competed since 2015 as a student at now defunct St John Villa Academy. SanFilippo set personal bests in her sophomore and senior year in the Indoor Hispanic Games in New York (one mile and 800 meters) and a season best in the New Balance Games in her junior year.

On the men's side, six newcomers join the squad: freshmen Bryce Bell, Austin Redondo, and Bradyn Ricca and transfers Lucas Kiprotich, Leonard Kipruto and Boniface Mutai.

Bell, a native of Orlando, graduated from Lyman High School. Bell competed for coach Fred Finke and was a four-time All-Conference and All-District and two-time All-State in cross country, and a three-time All-Conference, All-District, All-Region and All-State in track and field.

Redondo, a native of Miami, graduated and competed for Coral Reef Senior High School under coach Mike Becker. Redondo was named All-Dade Athlete in all four years while collecting First Team All-Dade honors his senior year.  In addition, Redondo was a cross country team states runner-up his freshman year while going on to become an individual state medalist in 2017 as well as being a state qualifier in track and field his junior and senior seasons (1600 and 3200-meters) while holding a personal best time of 15:48 in the 5k.

Ricca, a native of Merritt Island, Florida, graduated and competed for Merritt Island High School under coaches Pat Campbell and Bill Buonanni. Ricca was a All-Conference and a four-time state qualifier runner and also captain for both cross country and track & field teams while claiming the cross country District 3A-13 title in 2017 and capturing the district track crowns in the 1600 and 3200-meters events.

Kiprotich, Kipruto and Mutai all hail from Eldoret, Kenya and from three different colleges.

Kiprotich joins FGCU after spending his freshman season at Eastern Kentucky. There he raced in four of seven meets throughout the season and turned in three top-20 finishes during the cross country season while recording a season-best fourth overall finish in the season-opener versus Morehead State. Kiprotich's best 8k mark came at last year Adidas D-I Pre-Nationals where he placed 12th overall with a time of 24:34.9. Kiprotich joins the FGCU as a sophomore and will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Kipruto joins FGCU after spending his freshman year at NCAA DII Hillsdale College, however, he did not compete for the Chargers due to injury. Kipruto joins FGCU as a redshirt freshman and will have all four years of eligibility remaining.

Mutai joins FGCU after spending his freshman year at FAMU. Mutai competed in four races with the cross country squad with his best outing coming in the South Carolina State Cross Country Duals where he clocked in an 8K time of 25:14.40, crossing the finish line fourth overall. Mutai also saw action with the track & field program competing anywhere from the 1500 and 10,000-meter events.

The Eagles will open their season at the FAU Invitational for a third-straight season on Friday, Aug. 31. Last season in Boca Raton, the men scored three runners in the top-10 as they came just 10 points shy of repeating as FAU Invitational champions. The women's side has finished in the top-5 the last two of three years.

One week later, FGCU will travel north to the Bronx and get an sneak peek of Van Cortlandt Park, the site of the 2018 Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, as they will partake in the 38th annual Fordham Fiasco on Saturday, Sept.. 8

After a three-week layoff, the Eagles return to action in the 45th taking of the Paul Short Run on Saturday, Sept. 29. The high-profile race last year featured over 4,200 finishers and nearly 400 teams competing in 14 different races.

To end the regular season slate, FGCU will travel to the state capitol for what will prove to be another tough competitive field at the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 12 before returning to the Bronx to toe the starting line with the A-SUN crown on the line Friday, Oct. 26.

The NCAA South Regional Championships are scheduled to take place in Tallahassee on Friday, Nov. 9 as the Eagles will try to make it nine-straight seasons in which a team or individual (s) have gone on to represent the Green and Blue.

FGCU Cross Country Bios

With another season in the works, the FGCU cross country teams make their way to prepare for another new season.

Overall, on the women's team, the highest placing they got was in second place last season while on the men's side, the team finished no lower than third through the whole season.

In the A-SUN Conference Meet, the men finished third overall while the women finished fifth, and in the NCAA South Regional Championship, both teams finished in 17th overall.

Unlike basketball, volleyball and soccer, cross country does not have a record as wins and losses. They go by placing. It's the same with golf.


The team is led by head coach Cassandra Goodson. Goodson, a native of The Chassworth, California, enters her ninth season as head coach.

Prior to her coaching career, Goodson competed in cross country in her first two seasons at Diablo Valley College in the Big 8 Conference of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA). There she was the NorCal 10,000-meter champion and finished fifth in the state in the same event.

After her stint with the Vikings, Goodson transferred to Southern Miss where she helped the Lady Eagles to a second-place finish in 2005 with two fourth-place finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. She was a two-year letter-winner, and owns two school indoor records in the 3,000 meter with a time of 10:16.55 and the 5,000 meter with a time of 17:52.65. She also holds the school record in the outdoor 5,000 meters with a time of 17:31.81 and the 10,000 meters with a time of 37:01.65.

After graduating from Southern Miss, Goodson competed professionally throughout the United States in sanctioned USA Track and Field road races before landing a job with Southern Miss, where she served as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach from 2006-2008. In her three years at Southern Miss, Goodson’s coaching efforts produced three track and field program records and an NCAA Regional Qualifier.

After her three years with Southern Miss, Goodson accepted an offer to be head coach for both of FGCU's cross country teams. In her inaugural season Goodson paced Megan Thies to a new program record and Kyle Brunette to improve his personal record by almost two minutes.

In her first three seasons with the Green and Blue, Goodson was constantly moving forward while achieving a slew of program firsts including three overall meet wins and three members named to the A-SUN All-Freshmen teams. Her athletes continually broke program records and posted personal bests.

During the 2011 campaign, Goodson led the men’s team to three top-five finishes, including a season-opening first place finish at the FGCU Invitational, and top 10 finishes in all six competitions. The women’s team saw equal success under her guidance with top 10 finishes in every meet and three top five finishes. Four women’s runners established new personal-best 5K times, while nine men’s runners set new personal-bests in 8K events. At the A-SUN Conference Championship the Green and Blue ran to a seventh place finish in the women’s 5K while the men took eighth overall in the 8K race. Additionally, Goodson coached a pair of men’s and women’s runners at the NCAA South Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in the Eagles’ first year of eligibility as a DI team.

In 2012, Goodson guided the men to five top-five finishes, a program-best fourth place finish at conference championships and the team’s first trip to NCAA South Regionals. On Oct. 29, the men were ranked 14th in the South Region poll conducted by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and ended the season listed third in the rankings of NCAA D-I cross country only schools. The women saw a similar success finishing in the top five four times and sending a pair to NCAA Regionals.

During the 2013 season, Goodson led the men’s team to five top-five finishes, a first-place finish at the Westminster Academy Invite, wins over Miami, LSU and Vanderbilt, a fourth-place finish at conference championships and the program’s second trip to NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. The women also placed first at the Westminster Academy Invite and finished two meets in the top-five. A total 36 personal-bests and 20 individual top-10 finishes were recorded.

In 2014, Goodson's programs continued their record-breaking success, culminating at the A-SUN Championships where the women took third place, the program's first-ever mark inside the top three, while the men claimed fourth for the third-consecutive year. During the regular season, the women finished inside the top 10 in all five races, posted a third-place finish and won the Stetson Invitational to begin the year. On the men's side, the team won the South Florida Invitational in its second meet of the year, closed in third place in the Stetson Invitational and posted two fourth-place finishes in the regular season.

During the 2015 season, the Green and Blue posted program records with a pair of third-place finishes at the A-SUN Conference Championships. The women tied their mark from 2014 while the men bested theirs by one position. Additionally, the women finished in a program-best 13th place at the NCAA South Region Championships, improving 11 places from their finish at the season-ending meet a year ago.

Goodson guided the men’s team to its best season in program history in 2016, when it won a trio of races and matched program best finishes at both the A-SUN and NCAA South Region Championships, where the Eagles finished third and 17th, respectively. The Eagles capped off the season at the NCAA South Region Championships, where they placed four runners in the top-100 for the first time in program history.

With her strong background of experience collegiately and professionally, Goodson will make impact for her runners to keep working hard.


Joining Goodson as an assistant coach is Argeo Cruz. A native of Immokalee, Cruz enters his fourth season as assistant coach.

Prior to his coaching career, Cruz ran for FGCU all four years. A four-year letter-winner for the Eagles, Cruz’s collegiate running career was arguably the most successful in FGCU men’s cross country history. He racked up five A-SUN honors and, on numerous occasions, etched his name in the FGCU record books.

In the last two seasons, he led FGCU in an incredible 12 of 14 races. In his senior season, Cruz capped his career by being named to the A-SUN First Team and NCAA South All-Region Team. He was crowned the A-SUN Runner of the Week in October and placed first overall at the UCF Black and Gold Invite.

Cruz’s name is littered throughout the FGCU record book as he owns four of the top-10 8k times, including the top 2, in program history and two of the top-10, including the fastest, in the 10k.

After graduating, he joined Goodson as an assistant coach. During his first season as a coach, the women's team took bronze at the A-SUN Championship meet, while the men finished fourth. Both finishes were good for then-program records. The women ran to a first place finish at the season-opening Stetson Invitational, while the men crossed the finish line first at the USF Invitational.

In his second season, In 2015, Cruz helped lead the Eagles to a pair of program-best finishes as both the men's and women's teams finished third at the A-SUN meet. The women matched their program-best mark from 2014, while the men improved their program-best finish by one position. Neither team finished outside of the top-five in a regular season race all season, while the women earned a team win at the USF Invitational. Additionally, the women finished in a program-best 13th at the NCAA South Region Championship.

During the 2016 season, Cruz helped mentor runner Luka Ndungu to arguably the most prolific season in program history as he helped led the men’s team to a trio of first-place finishes and its first regional ranking since 2012. The men’s team matched a program best finish at both the A-SUN and NCAA South Region Championships by crossing the finish line 3rd and 18th, respectively. FGCU not only saw its most student-athletes receive A-SUN All-Conference recognition in the same season with three taking home first and second team honors, but also placed men’s runners in the top-100 at the NCAA South Region Championship for the first time in program history.

Cruz has helped coach 10 individuals to a total of 21 times that appear in the top-10 of the 8K and 10K for the men and 5K and 6K for the women on the FGCU All-Time Records list.

With his coaching role and experience as a runner, Cruz still remains successful and will continue to be successful.

With two new teams comes new changes.

From the women's team, Stephanie Cajas, Regan Farrow and Emily Perkinson have departed as they graduated.

Senior Kaitlyn Sullivan, who competed in both cross country and women's soccer, is no longer on the team as she focuses on her major.

From the men's team, Charles Bengtson, Alex Delle Monache and Luka Ndungu have also graduated.

Sophomore Quasan Markowski has quit.

Senior Kenny Castro quit due to personal reasons.

For the women, the team consists of one senior, two juniors, one transfer and two freshman while on the men's team, they consist of three seniors, one junior, two sophomores and two freshman.

The four seniors have paved their way to the big time: Anita Munoz of the women's team and Ronny Greenup, Leonel "Leo" Delacruz and Troy Clark from the men's team.


The lone senior on the women's team is Anita Munoz.

At 5-3 and hailing from Immokalee, Florida, Munoz has had her fair share in the meets.

In her freshman year, Munoz competed in all six races, and finished seventh at the Stetson Hatter Invitational with a time of 19:51.37, 16th at the South Florida Invitational with a time of 19:24.01, finished 70th in a time of 18:59.89 at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational, finished the Greater Louisville Classic with a time of 19:27.87, finished in 55th place at the FSU Seminole Invitational with a time of 20:02.10 and  placed 31st overall at the Atlantic Sun Championship with a time of 19:02.15.

In her sophomore year, Munoz kept making her mark. She competed in all six races and finished strong in each race. Munoz finished in a season-best 15th place at the UNF Invitational in a time of 19:16.05, clocked a season-best time of 18:32.69 and placed 19th at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational, which was good for the fifth best on the team this season and the fourth best for a sophomore runner in program history. She crossed the finish line 17th overall in a time of 19:12.84 at the Upstate Invitational, ran a 6k pace of 22:56.90, placed 18th at the USF Invitational, finished 21st at the A-Sun Championships after running a time of 18:37.39 and capped off the season with a top-100 finish (94th) as she crossed third among FGCU runners at the NCAA South Regional Championships with a time of 22:23.20. Munoz was named a member of the A-SUN Conference All-Academic Team in the end.

In her junior year, Munoz was named team captain for her hard work. She was one of two runners to compete in all seven races where she paced the Eagles in each of the first three races and turned in three of the team’s top five times in the 5k and finished in the top-30 in six of seven races. Munoz finished in a season-best 2nd place with a time of 19:07.7 at the FAU Invitational, placed 11th in 10:47.86 at the UNF Invitational, crossed in 18:59.19 and placed 26th at the Mountain Dew Invitational,  clocked a season-best time of 18:37.16 and finished 11th at the Upstate Invitational, finished 19th in 19:26.57 at the USF Invitational, finished 2nd among FGCU runners and 27th overall with a time of 19:00.11 at the A-SUN Championships and placed 132nd in 22:56.7 at the NCAA South Regional.

Munoz was named on the A-SUN Conference All-Academic Team for the second year in a row.

As the lone senior, she will make sure that she will give it all she's got.


The first of three seniors on the men's team is Ronny Greenup.

At 6-1 and hailing from Miami, Florida, Greenup is here to make his presence known for FGCU.

Prior to FGCU, Greenup spent his first two seasons at FIU. Greenup had an outstanding rookie season for the cross country team, winning three of the seven meets he ran where he ran his best 8K at the UCF Cross Country Invitational (25.11.70). Greenup, during the indoor track season, was part of the men’s distance medley relay that took second place at the Winston-Salem State Open where his best race times were 8:38.59 in the 3K and 14:51.24 in the 5K.

In his sophomore year, Greenup started the season with a pair of top-three finishes at the FAU Invitational (15:37.50) and UCF Invitational (26:36.30), finished 20th in a field of more than 300 at the Mountain Dew Invitational in a season-best time of 26:21.00, crossed 9th at the USF Invitational in a time of 26:36.90 and finished 52nd in the C-USA Conference Championship.

After his stint with the Panthers, Greenup transferred to FGCU his junior and was a success. He competed in six races and finished in the top-10 on five occasions. Greenup began his career at FGCU with a 6th place finish in 15:50.9 at the FAU Invitational, won his next race after crossing the finish line in 15:53.03 at the UNF Invitational, 8th with a time of 26:00.66 at the Mountain Dew Invitational, ran a season-best time of 25:20.14 and finished 4th at the Upstate Invitational, which was 7th best all-time, 7th at the A-SUN Championships in a time of 25:34.65, which was the 3rd best in program history, finished 98th with a time of 32:59.7 at the NCAA South Regional and helped FGCU place four runners in the top-100 of the NCAA meet for the first time in program history. He did so well that he earned A-SUN All-Conference First Team honors.

Greenup will give one final breath to make the magic happen.


Next is Leonel "Leo" Delacruz.

At 5-5 and hailing from Immokalee, Florida, Cruz wants his competition to know who he is.

In his freshman, Cruz competed in four races where he finished 23rd with a time of 28:54.89 at the Stetson Hatter Invitational, 49th at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational with a time of 27:03.77, 24th at the FSU Seminole Invitational with a time of 26:36.54 and 38th at the Atlantic Sun Championship with a time of 27:24.77.

In his sophomore year, Cruz competed in five races. Cruz finished 41st at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational with a time of 27:41.00, 28th at the Upstate Invitational with a time of 27:20.55, placed in a season-best 12th place after running a race of 26:51.90 at the USF Invitational, had a 22nd place finish at the A-Sun Championships with a personal-best time of 26:20.08 and ran a personal-best 10k time of 33:53.23 at the NCAA South Regional Championships and finished 119th.

In his junior year, Cruz competed in six races. He finished in a season-best 7th place in 16:03.0 at the FAU Invitational, crossed the finish line 21st overall in 26:49.39 at the Mountain Dew Invitational, improved his time by nearly 40 seconds as he crossed 14th in a personal-best time of 26:11.31 at the Upstate Invitational, placed 18th in 27:17.72 at the USF Invitational, wrapped up the season with a 27th place finish in 26:49.56 at the A-SUN Championships and a 144th place finish at the NCAA South Regional.

With the clock coming to a close, Cruz will give all his got to make his statement known.


The last of four seniors is Troy Clark.

At 6-0 and hailing from Mount Dora, Florida, Clark shows he is ready for any challenge.

In his freshman year, Clark competed in all six races. Clark placed 5th at the Stetson Hatter Invitational with a time of 27:00.28, finished 7th place with a time of 26:16.71 at the South Florida Invitational, finished 20th at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational with a time of 25:32.84, placed 130th at the Greater Louisville Classic with a time of 25:49.51, finished 12th place with a time of 25:53.49 at the FSU Seminole Invitational and finished a team-best 13th at the Atlantic Sun Championship.

In his sophomore year, Clark competed in all six races and paced the Eagles on three occasions while also turning in the team’s first- and fourth-best times. He recorded times in both the 8k and 10k that appear in the program’s all-time record book for the second consecutive year. Clark finished 6th at the UNF Invitational with a time of 26:04.94, ran a time of 26:42.17 and finished 29th at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational, crossed the finish line 27th overall at the Upstate Invitational with a time of 27:16.62, finished in a season-best 2nd place at the USF Invitational after running a race of 25:50.60, which was fourth best on the team, got a 10th place finish at the A-Sun Championships in a personal-best time of 25:32.31 and turned in FGCU’s fourth-best NCAA South Regional Championship performance as he crossed the finish line 57th overall with a 10k time of 32:29.86, which was the seventh best time in program history. Clark did so phenomenal that he earned A-SUN All-Conference Honors and was named to the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team.

In his junior was his moment in time. Named as team captain, Clark competed in six races where he turned in FGCU’s 2nd best 5k time and 3rd best 10k time. Clark finished in a season-best 3rd place with a time of 15:42.7 at the FAU Invitational, crossed the finish line in 26:35.58 and finished 18th at the Mountain Dew Invitational, had back-to-back 10th place finishes at the Upstate Invitational and USF Invitational, which his time of 25:58.66 at the Upstate Invitational was a season best while he crossed the finish line in 26:35.79 at USF. Clark placed 23rd in a time of 26:18.41 at the A-SUN Championships and capped off the season with by finishing 92nd in 32:54.6 at the NCAA South Regional.

In the end, Clark earned A-SUN  All-Academic Team honors for the second straight year.

For Clark, his hard work will pay off with many benefits in the end.

Rounding the bend behind the seniors are three juniors from both teams: Jessica Hanley and Carley Lutzow for the women and Maximilian Weigand for the men.


The first of three juniors is Jessica Hanley.

At 5-3 and hailing from Valico, Florida, Hanley comes in favor originally as a walk-on.

In her sophomore year, Hanley joined and competed in four races. She finished 78th and clocked a time of 21:01.89 in her first collegiate race at the Mountain Dew Invitational, crossed 54th in 21:13.60 at the Upstate Invitational, capped off the regular season in 56th with a time of 21:05.74 at the USF Invitational and ran a season-best time of 20:45.96 and finished 50th at the A-SUN Championships.

For Hanley, she will give it all she's got to make her mark for FGCU.


The next one and is personally one of my favorite runners is Carley Lutzow.

At 5-2 and coming from Belvidere, Illinois, Lutzow is here to represent the Great Lakes with passion.

In her freshman year, Lutzow ran in four of six races. She finished in a season-best 13th and third among FGCU runners at the UNF Invitational in a time of 19:06.30, ran a personal-best time of 19:02.96 and finished 34th at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational, crossed the finish line 23rd with a time of 19:26.94 at the Upstate Invitational and clocked a time of 19:04.47 at the A-SUN Championships and finished 28th.

In her sophomore year, Lutzow paced three of her six races where she turned in the team’s top two times in the 5k and best time in the 6k. Lutzow finished in a season-best 3rd place in a time of 19:10.3 at the FAU Invitational, crossed 25th in 11:18.18 at the UNF Invitational, placed 44th with a time of 19:34.85 at the Mountain Dew Invitational, clocked a personal-best time of 18:20.72 and finished 8th overall at the Upstate Invitational, which registered 2nd among FGCU sophomore runners in program history, finished 1st among FGCU runners and 16th overall in 18:31.50 at the A-SUN Championships, which ranked 5th among sophomore runners in program history and crossed the finish line 109th in a time of 22:29.6 at the NCAA South Regional.

For Lutzow, this Great Lakes girl will she's more ready than ever this season.


Last of the juniors is Maximilian Weigand.

At 6-1 and hailing from Penzberg, Germany, Weigand is here to make his mark for his junior year.

In his freshman year, Weigand raced in two meets where he finished 43rd at the Upstate Invitational with a time of 28:17.24 and turned in a season-best performance as he finished 34th at the USF Invitational after running a race of 27:46.90.

In his sophomore year, Weigand was the lone runner to compete in all seven races this season and was the team’s most improved runner from a year ago. He finished 8th at the FAU Invitational with a time of 16:06.1, a personal-best 3rd place finish in 15:54.66 at the UNF Invitational, finished 42nd overall with a time of 28:07.33 at the Mountain Dew Invitational, improved his time by more than two minutes as he clocked a personal-best time of 25:51.50 and finished 6th at the Upstate Invitational, which was ranked 3rd all-time among FGCU sophomores, placed 20th at the USF Invitational in 27:31.76, finished 4th among FGCU runners and 22nd overall after crossing the finish line in 26:15.79 at the A-SUN Championships and capped off the season by finishing 128th with a time of 33:47.0 at the NCAA South Regional.

As a result, Weigand earned A-SUN All-Academic Team honors in his first year of eligibility and there's no doubt in my mind that he will continue his strong success for this season.


FGCU managed to snag a transfer to join the women's team and it happens to be Angela Cruz Gonzalez.

At 5-1 and hailing from Immokalee, Florida, Gonzalez is here to make her presence in the big leagues and it runs in her blood thanks to coach Cruz.

Prior to FGCU, Gonzalez started her first two years at Pasco-Hernando State College of FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8.

In her freshman year at PHSC, Gonzalez opened her collegiate career with a 58th place finish at the Tampa Early Bird Classic (22:09.20), finished in a season-best 37th place at the flrunners.com Invitational (22:10.38) and improved her time by more than one minute at the Disney Cross Country Classic (21:08.42).

In her sophomore year, Gonzalez began the season at the Tampa Cross Country Classic and turned in a 3K time of 12:16.00, finished 65th at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational (20:45.98), placed in a season-best eighth at the SFSC Panther Invitational (21:49.00), returned to the Disney Cross Country Classic and crossed the finish line in 83rd in a season-best 20:18.80 and placed in the top-100 at the NJCAA Cross Country Championships with a personal-best time of 19:59.31. Because of her hard work, Gonzalez was named the Most Outstanding Cross Country Runner and earned All-American honors.

Gonzalez will be listed as a junior and will have two years of eligibility remaining, and I have no doubt in my mind that she will know that she's ready.

Sadly, there are no sophomores on the women's team, but the men's team have two: Carlin Berryhill and Jan Figueroa.


The first is Carlin Berryhill.

At 5-10 and hailing from Miami, Florida, Berryhill comes with a passion to make it big.

In his freshman year, Berryhill competed in five races. He turned in the Eagles’ 3rd best time in the 5k, 5th best time in the 8k and 2nd best time in the 10k. Berryhill began his collegiate career with back-to-back 4th place finishes at the FAU Invitational and UNF Invitational. Despite missing a pair of races with an injury, Berryhill returned to finished 16th in 26:52.84 at the USF Invitational, finished 3rd among FGCU runners and 13th overall in a personal-best time of 25:41.90 at the A-SUN Championships, which was 3rd best among freshman runners in program history and matched the best finish by a freshman at the conference championships and capped off the season as he finished 2nd among FGCU runners and 83rd overall in 32:45.5 at the NCAA South Regional. It was the best ever finish by a freshman at the championships as he helped FGCU place four runners in the top-100 for the first time in program history. Berryhill did so well that he earned A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Freshman Team honors. He became the second freshman in program history to win A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Freshman Team honors.

For his second stint, Berryhill will show that he is ready for a challenge.


The other sophomore on the team is Jan Figueroa.

At 5-8 and hailing from Casselberry, Florida, Figueroa is ready to make his mark for his second year.

In his freshman year, Figueroa competed in five races. He started his career off with a 12th place finish in a time of 16:34.1 at the FAU Invitational, then followed it up with a 14th place finish in 16:30.26 at the UNF Invitational, placed 34th in 27:47.56 at the Mountain Dew Invitational, improved his time by nearly 30 seconds as he crossed the finish line in a personal-best time of 27:19.21 and finished 31st at the Upstate Invitational and concluded his season at the A-SUN Championships as he finished 40th in 27:23.13.

For Figueroa, there is no doubt he will give it all he's got.

Now we get to the cream of the crop: the freshman. There are four freshman make their names for both teams: Devin Molloy and Madeline Wyers for the women and Cole Pruim and Joseph Salerno for the men.


The first is Devin Molloy.

At 5-4 and a local from Naples, Florida, Molloy comes to get her foot in the door.

Prior to FGCU, Molloy graduated from Barron Collier High School. There, she earned FHSAA All-State honors two straight years (2013, 2014), finished runner-up at the 2013 FHSAA 3A District 12 meet (18:32.43), fourth at the 3A Region race (19:26.20) and 11th at the Cross Country State Finals (18:55.44). Molloy followed it by winning the 2014 FHSAA 3A District 12 Championship (18:21.22) while finishing third at the regional race (19:53.30) and ninth at the state championship (18:56.50).

With her experience locally, Molloy will prove she's ready for the big leagues.


The other freshman joining on the women's team is Madeline Wyers.

At 5-10 and coming from Wakeman, Ohio, Wyers came into play late, but ready to go.

Prior to FGCU, Wyers went to Western Reserve High School where she was captain of her high school's varsity track and field team.

With her experience from the great lakes, Wyers will make her statements known that she is ready.


The first of two freshman on the men's is Cole Pruim.

At 5-11 and hailing from Winter Garden, Florida, Pruim is here to get his foot in the door with the men's team.

Prior to FGCU, Pruim ran for Ocoee High School while attending Legacy High School. He was a two-time FHSAA State Qualifier and placed 11th as a senior and 31st as a junior, won the 2015 FHSAA 4A District 3 Champion after running a personal-record 5K time of 15:54.5, finished runner up in the District Championship as a senior, ran to a fourth-place finish at the FHSAA 4A Region 1 Championships with a season-best time of 16:02.8, placed ninth in the event as a junior and was named to the All-Area Cross Country team.

Like Molloy, Pruim is also gonna show that he's ready for the big leagues.


The last freshman is Joseph Salerno.

At 5-7 and hailing from Wesley Chapel, Florida, Salerno is here to make a statement for his first year

Prior to FGCU, Salerno attended Wiregrass Ranch High School and competed for coach Christopher Loth. He was a two-time Sunshine Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference honoree, a two-time FHSAA 4A Individual State Qualifier, a three-time Wiregrass Ranch team MVP, finished runner up in the 3200 meter at the Sunshine Athletic Conference Track & Field East Championships in 2016 and 2017 and an individual qualifier in the 3200m at the 2017 FSU Relays.

For Salerno, he is ready and hungry for the competition that awaits him.

Like the swimming and diving team and men's and women's golf teams, no one really pays attention to cross country, but the runners work hard every day and gracious to participate to make it to the top even if they do not have any meets at home.

If you get a chance to meet a cross country and see how much hard work they put in to finish in every meet, you'd be surprised on how well they do.

PC: FGCUathletics.com

Eagle Revolution 2017

Welcome to a new school year. Welcome to a new athletic season for FGCU. Welcome to FGCU Eagle Revolution 2017.

Every year at pretty much any public university, the athletics program host a big bash for the new upcoming and returning students and student-athletes. For FGCU, it is called Eagle Revolution.

At Eagle Revolution, all the athletic teams of both genders from the programs ranging from volleyball to tennis and their coaches, gather in front of thousands of students and introduce themselves to the new and returning students. It is really lively and rambunctiously exciting.

I remember from last year's Eagle Revolution that shocked me. The FGCU softball team included me in part of their routine involving my cheer. Then player and team captain Jeanie Verderese came up to me during the event and I gave her a hug. As I finished giving her a hug, she said to me "We're gonna bring you on the court with us to do your cheer."

I was like "You're kidding right?" She was serious. I didn't know what to make of it. It was unexpected.

As the softball team was doing their traditional circle with Verderese leading, the team turned toward me, and Amber Plaza and Carissa Licata literally pulled me out of my seat. I tried to head back, they stopped me, pulled me back and handed me a microphone and told me to do my cheer that I did at every softball game I attend. Of course, how could I refuse? My heart was pounding everywhere, but they did it with me, so I wouldn't feel so nervous. I felt strong doing that.

During the summer, I talked to senior Nat Lopez about that and said "Why do I have a feeling y'all are gonna pull me out of my seat and have me do my cheer like last years Eagle Revolution? lol"

She laughed and said "We will see."

Fast forward to today, literally, students by the thousands were lined up by the door to get to the Alico Arena early to get a seat. The line went as long as across the Egret Building (a housing dormitory). Of course, me and some of the experienced returning Dirty Birds, would sit up or stand in the front.

Before the event started, some of the Dirty Birds got to play around with some of the soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball players. I got to see a lot of familiar faces I knew from last year and the year before and meet new faces that I never spoke to before until the event.

Some of the fans, cheerleaders and basketball players from both teams were playing "Knockout". I got to play a little bit with redshirt senior Jessica Cattani and redshirt sophomore transfer Brady Ernst trying to put pressure on me after they were shooting behind me. I did manage to eliminate one basketball player (No, it wasn't Brady). I eliminated freshman walk-on Ryan Roucant, but Ernst eliminated me, but I was a good sport about it after being eliminated.

During the event, I witnessed some freshman with some good spirit sit with me and I could see they were a rowdy bunch with a lot of potential.

All the teams were there and the theme for Eagle Revolution was "90s Throwback Night", which I thought worked pretty well for a millennial like myself, and I even got to high five and hugs some of the returners from last year and the year before. When the softball team was introduced, senior Emily Demurias pulled me out of my seat and had me dance to "Jump On It" with the whole team.

A lot of beach balls sponsored by Wells Fargo were thrown around and the athletes were throwing out cups, bags, shirts and frisbees. I managed to snag a bag thrown out in the stands, but I gave it to a freshman because I didn't really need it and I think she deserved to have a memorabilia for her first year at FGCU.

Of course, at Eagle Revolution, one lucky fan is drawn for a chance to win either big sum of money or a Ford Mustang parked in front of Alico. From all the times I have seen people attempt to do so, no one has won it and the streak still continued.

After the event was over, I got to meet up with the returning athletes and keep in touch with them and even met some of the newcomers like redshirt junior transfer Lisa Zderadicka from the women's basketball team and freshman Chris Clement from the men's soccer team. They were really nice to speak to and it looked like they were having a real good time out there.

It was so awesome to see all the excitement from the athletes, cheerleaders and dirty birds who watched from the stands in the Alico Arena, and just seeing that brings excitement to the world and seeing old faces and meeting new ones is worth while until the end.

As I end this blog entry, tune in for the next blog entry as I talk about the FGCU volleyball team on who they are, where they came from and what experience they bring.

Below are a few pictures with some of the athletes and my roommates:

With my roommates Gio Mendez and Dylan Sobocinski 

With freshman women's basketball player Sheahen Dowling 

With redshirt junior men's soccer player Jordan Lue 

With junior cheerleading captain Caragan Phillips

With Lisa Zderadicka

With redshirt freshman Chandler Ryan