ORLANDO, Fla. – In her first career postseason race,
Karley Piers (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS) led the FGCU women's cross country team as she took 45
th individually at the ASUN Championship held at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex on Saturday morning. The Eagles, who have battled injuries throughout this season, placed 12
th as a team.
"The women's team ran their heart out. The results were not what we wanted, especially after a fourth place finish last year," said head coach
Cassandra Goodson. "We've been battling sickness and injury with some of our top women this season, so we will take it.
Reilly Ritter stepped up and
Mary McCullough ran solid, but we know there is more there. They are young and I'm really looking forward to the future with them."
Piers led the Eagles with a time of 18 minutes, 42.6 seconds which was the fourth fastest 5K time for a FGCU freshman in program history. She had opened the year with the second fastest freshman time of 18 minutes, 39.1 seconds at the FAU Invitational.
McCullough
(Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista HS/Colorado Mesa University) and Ritter
(Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca HS) each turned in personal best 5K times finishing the race in 19 minutes, 29.7 seconds (73
rd) and 19 minutes, 47.9 seconds (81
st), respectively.
Rounding out the FGCU performances on the day were
Blake Petrick (St. John's, Fla./Creekside HS),
Maricel Esquilin (Bonita Springs, Fla./Estero HS/Stetson), and
Gianna Citarella (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional HS). Petrick placed 89
th in 20 minutes, 9.9 seconds. Esquilin completed the course in 20 minutes, 24.5 seconds (94
th) for her best 5K time at FGCU, while Citarella ran 20 minutes, 42.1 seconds (95
th).
Liberty won its second consecutive ASUN title with 36 points, while Lipscomb placed second (48 points). Calli Doan of the Flames won the individual title and was the ASUN Runner of the Year completing the course in 16 minutes, 57.4 seconds.
The Eagles will return to action on Friday, Nov. 12 at the NCAA Regionals hosted by North Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.
Team Scores
1. Liberty - 36
2. Lipscomb - 48
3. Eastern Kentucky - 82
4. Jacksonville - 109
5. Kennesaw State - 146
6. Central Arkansas - 179
7. North Florida - 181
8. Bellarmine - 201
9. Stetson - 227
10. North Alabama - 306
11. Jacksonville State - 317
12. FGCU - 333
First Team All-Conference
1. Calli Doan, Liberty (16:57.4) -
Runner of the Year
2. Hayleigh Palotti, Jacksonville (16:58.9)
3. Adelyn Ackley, Liberty (17:00.4)
4. Jone Zabaleta-Larranaga, Eastern Kentucky (17:10.2)
5. Lydia Miller, Lipscomb (17:11.9)
6. Anna Hostetler, Liberty (17:17.1)
7. Colbi Borland, Lipscomb (17:20.2)
Second Team All-Conference
8. Laura Taborda, Eastern Kentucky (17:20.4)
9. Mackenzie Barnett, Lipscomb (17:20.7)
10. Sarah Hendrick, Kennesaw State (17:22.8)
11. Merabu Nagwandala, Lipscomb (17:23.4)
12. Noel Palmer, Liberty (17:27.6)
13. Katie Meyer, Kennesaw State (17:33.6)
14. Grace Dwyer, Liberty (17:46.8)
All-Freshmen Team
Mackenzie Barnett, Lipscomb (17:20.7) - Freshman of the Year
Emma Sullivan, Jacksonville (17:48.4)
Liza Corso, Lipscomb (17:49.4)
Madison Jones, Jacksonville (17:50.7)
Nyah Hernandez, Kennesaw State (18:10.5)
For complete coverage of the FGCU men's and women's cross country programs, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_XC, on Facebook (@FGCUXC), and online at
www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU cross country or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
COACH GOODSON
FGCU is led by
Cassandra Goodson, whose 13 seasons 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 23 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 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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.
