DeBary, Fla. – Exactly nine weeks after the sound of the starting gun at the Stetson Hatter Invite opened the 2014 campaign, the FGCU men's and women's cross country teams make their return to the River City Nature Park for the 2014 Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championship on Saturday. Racing through Stetson's home course in DeBary, Fla. for the second time this season, the women's 5K takes off at 8:30 a.m., with the men's 8K following at 9:30 a.m. 
 
"We are focused and ready to roll," head coach Cassandra Goodson said. "The teams have been looking strong these past few weeks." 
 
THE HISTORY
In the 2013 championship race, the FGCU men tied their program-best finish as they placed fourth for the second-consecutive year, while the women's team finished eighth after former student-athlete Kelly Perzanowski became FGCU's first individual conference champion, winning the women's 5K in a program-record 17:21.20. In the men's 8K, the Eagles had two of the team's current members finish in the top 15, with Austin Boetje (Lawrenceville, Ga./Mill Creek HS/Georgia State) placing 10th with a 25:45.40 to receive Second Team All-Conference honors, while Nathan Kandie (Iten, Kenya/University of Arizona) claimed 15th place following a 25:57.14. 
 
THE COMPETITION
In the final installment of the conference rankings released by the league office last Friday, both FGCU squads were predicted to finish fourth this weekend. The three-time defending conference champion Lipscomb women continue to be a dominant force in the A-Sun as the Bisons are once again predicted to take this year's crown, after having received unanimous first-place votes in every A-Sun Coaches Poll this year. On the men's side, North Florida claimed the top spot with seven of a possible eight first-place votes from the coaches.
 
Of the eight A-Sun cross country programs, the Green and Blue have raced over half so far this season. The FGCU men outpaced No. 5 Kennesaw State at the Mountain Dew Invite and have soared past No. 7 Stetson three times and No. 8 Jacksonville twice, but have been outrun by top-ranked UNF, No. 2 Lipscomb and No. 3 NKU. The FGCU women have taken down No. 2 UNF, No. 6 Stetson (three times) and No. 7 Jacksonville (twice), but fell to the second-ranked Ospreys in their second meeting and were barely outpaced by No. 3 Kennesaw State in Gainesville.
 
THE SEASON OPENER
FGCU previewed Saturday's course during its season opener where Kandie and Brooke Sill (Lake Zurich, Ill./Eastern Illinois University) crossed the finish line first, outpacing numerous A-Sun runners. Finishing the 5K at the top with just 17 points, the FGCU women's team blew past No. 2 UNF in second (65) as host Stetson took third (72). The Eagles road to victory was paved by seven top-10 finishes with the Eagles taking home the individual gold, silver and bronze. Equally as notable, all seven from the Green and Blue posted a 5K time below the 20-minute mark, an accomplishment the Eagles did not see once during the 2013 season.
 
In their first race through the River City Nature Park, the FGCU men took third with 44 points, just one above No. 2 Lipscomb in second with 43, while UNF finished first with 36. Rounding out the men's field was Stetson in fourth (122).
 
THE TEAM LEADERS
Both the FGCU men and women have been paced by two different runners in this season's meets. Sill led the FGCU women's squad for the first four meets, recording a season-best 17:58.35 at the Mountain Dew Invite, the fastest 5K time the team has seen this season. Most recently at the FSU Invite the Eagles were led by Lauren Tarovisky (Wheeling, W.V./Wheeling Park HS/Moorehead State University), who finished 19th overall after clocking an 18:45.31, just three second in front of Sill (18:48.80). Leading the men twice was Kandie, backed by his career-best 25:41.62 at FSU, while freshman Troy Clark (Mount Dora, Fla./Mt. Dora Bible HS) paced the Eagles in their other three meets and holds the season's top time, a 25:32.84 recorded at the Mountain Dew Invite.
 
2014 TOP 5K TIMES IN THE A-SUN 
1. Madi Talbert, Lipscomb - 17:19.08
2. Paige Stoner, Lipscomb - 17:33.39
3. Kayla Montgomery, Lipscomb - 17:34.75
4. Barbara Lee Ball, Lipscomb - 17:43.54
5. Andelka Tancic, North Florida - 17:45.01
6. Lilly Kidane, Kennesaw State - 17:52.33
7. Dani Walker, Lipscomb - 17:52.78
8. Eden Meyer, North Florida - 17:55.13
9. Brooke Sill, FGCU - 17:58.35
10. Katrine Rasmussen, Kennesaw State - 18:02.73
 
2014 TOP 8K TIMES IN THE A-SUN 
1. J.J. Webber, Northern Kentucky - 24:07.46
2. Daniel Garcia, Kennesaw State - 24:25.70
3. Daniel Gardner, Lipscomb - 24:55.44
4. Juan Gonzalez, Lipscomb - 24:56.75
5. Michael Damato, North Florida - 24:59.23
6. Tyler Bennett, North Florida - 25:02.51
7. Griffin Eubanks, USC Upstate - 25:03.20
8. Dylan Titon, Kennesaw State - 25:08.00
9. Nick Morken, North Florida - 25:10.79
10. Brad Hort, North Florida - 25:22.28
 
 
For complete coverage of FGCU cross country at A-Sun Championships, follow on Twitter @FGCU_XC and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of the meet.
 
FGCU is led by Cassandra Goodson, whose six seasons at the helm have taken the Eagles from their humble beginnings to a competitive D-I program, highlighted by three trips to the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship. Every mark in the FGCU all-time record book has been etched during the Goodson era, as she has coached eight A-Sun All-Conference selections, the 2013 Female Conference Runner of the Year and two members of the NCAA South All-Region Team.
 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.