BRONX, NY – The FGCU men's cross country team now has a pair of top-3 finishes to open the 2018 slate – placed 1st overall last weekend at FAU – after coming in third at the Fordham Fiasco Saturday morning, led by a third-place individual finish from 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 in Boca Raton last weekend, Kiprotich (Eldoret, Kenya/EKU/Concord HS) 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. Ronny Greenup (Miami, Fla./FIU/Miami Sunset Senior HS), Austin Redondo (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef Senior High School) and Boniface Mutai (Eldoret, Kenya/Biwott Ngelel Tarit Secondary School/FAMU) finished 18, 21 and 23, respectively. Junior Jan Figueroa (Casselberry, Fla./Lake Howell HS) 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 (Winter Garden, Fla./Legacy HS) and Joseph Salerno (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch HS) 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 (Inverness, Fla./Citrus High School) set the tone for the Green and Blue with her 22nd overall finish with a mark of 20:08.36. Another newcomer in Emily O'Connor (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg High School) was right on her heels with a time of 20:21.38, good enough for 29th. Senior runner Angela Cruz Gonzalez (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee HS/Pasco-Hernando State) 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, Julia Filip (Owasso, Okla./Owasso High School) and Madeline Wyers (Wakeman, Ohio/Western Reserve HS) 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 – 23
2. Manhattan – 69
3. FGCU – 88
4. Rutgers – 117
5. Yale – 130
6. Fordham – 160
7. NJIT – 203
8. NYIT – 234
9. Pace – 245
10. St. Joseph's – 309
11. Mt. St. Vincent – 348

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS
1. Lipscomb – 25
2. Princeton – 65
3. Manhattan – 76
4. Fordham – 115
5. St. John's – 132
6. Yale – 164
7. FGCU – 190
8. NJIT – 212
9. LIU Post – 264
10. St. Joseph's – 302
11. Montclair State – 305
12. Pace – 335
13. Mt. St. Vincent – 351

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's and women's cross country this season, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_XC and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com.

COACH GOODSON
FGCU is led by Cassandra Goodson, whose nine seasons at the helm have taken the Eagles from their humble beginnings to a competitive D-I program, highlighted by seven trips to the NCAA South Regional Championship. Every mark in the FGCU all-time record book has been etched during the Goodson era, as she has coached 18 ASUN All-Conference selections, the 2013 Female Conference Runner of the Year and two members of the NCAA South All-Region Team.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
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.