BUCKINGHAM, Fla. – The FGCU men's and women's cross country programs wrapped up the ASUN Championship meet Saturday morning at the Buckingham property. The men's side placed fourth overall while the women's team finished in eighth.
"The one thing that stands out the most from the meet today is just the support as a whole," said head coach
Cassandra Goodson. "From the team, all the families, friends and alumni. It gave the student-athletes a lot of energy going into the race, so I was really proud of that. Facilities did a great job in making this look like a true championship course so a huge thank you to
Michael Miller [Associate AD for Facilities & Operations] and his staff.
Ken Kavanagh [Director of Athletics] and
Kathy Peterson [Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete Services/SWA] gave us great support from the administration side, so everyone worked hard to make this meet look great and that's what really stood out to me. As far as both teams go, I know everyone ran their hearts out and did the best to their ability. I am definitely proud of the fact that we went out there and competed with everything we had."
Lucas Kiprotich (Eldoret, Kenya/Eastern Kentucky) and
Austin Redondo (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef Senior HS) received ASUN Second-Team honors (8th and 13th) after placing inside the top-14 (top-7 receive First-Team honors.)
Boniface Mutai (Eldoret, Kenya/FAMU) placed 25th overall, as
Bradyn Ricca (Merritt Island, Fla./Merritt Island HS) and
Cole Pruim (Winter Garden, Fla./Legacy HS) rounded out the scoring coming in 34th and 35th, respectively.
Benjamin Hermiston (Sherrill, Iowa/Dubuque Hempstead HS) finished 45th while
Bryce Bell (Orlando, Fla./Lyman HS) and
Jan Figueroa (Casselberry, Fla./Lake Howell HS) were separated by two spots coming in 54th and 56th, respectively.
On the women's side,
Jillian Felton (Inverness, Fla./Citrus HS) was the first to score for the Eagles crossing the line 30th overall.
Emily O'Connor (Twinsburg, Ohio, Twinsburg HS) was behind her coming in 45th while
Julia Filip (Owasso, Okla./Owasso HS) placed three spots later in 48th.
Gianna Citarella (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional HS) crossed 53rd overall as
Madeline Wyers (Wakeman, Ohio/Western Reserve HS) rounded out the scoring placing 58th.
Reilly Ritter (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca HS) capped off her race coming right after Wyers in 59th as
Caroline MacKenzie (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) was the final Eagle to finish registering a 65th overall placement.
Men's Team Results
1. Lipscomb – 39
2. Liberty – 40
3. UNF – 58
4. FGCU – 112
5. Stetson – 137
6. NJIT – 171
7. North Alabama – 189
8. Kennesaw State – 232
9. Jacksonville – 281
Women's Team Results
1. Lipscomb – 31
2. Liberty – 39
3. Kennesaw State – 116
4. UNF – 118
5. North Alabama – 122
6. Stetson – 172
7. NJIT – 186
8. FGCU – 209
9. Jacksonville – 225
Men's Individual Times
Lucas Kiprotich – 25:06.33
Austin Redondo – 25:19.83
Boniface Mutai – 25:51.18
Bradyn Ricca – 26:13.21
Cole Pruim – 26:13.52
Benjamin Hermiston – 26:35.20
Bryce Bell – 27:04.75
Jan Figueroa – 27:25.43
Women's Individual Times
Jillian Felton – 19:01.76
Emily O'Connor – 19:42.46*
Julia Filip – 20:04.38
Gianna Citarella – 20:23.51
Madeline Wyers – 20:58.55*
Reilly Ritter – 21:10.04
Caroline MacKenzie – 21:33.01*
*Season-best time
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 10 seasons (entering 11th) at the helm have taken the Eagles from their humble beginnings to a competitive D-I program, highlighted by eight 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 21 ASUN All-Conference selections, the 2013 Female Conference Runner of the Year and three members of the NCAA South All-Region Team.
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 79 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
