BOCA RATON, Fla. – Paced by Karley Pier's fourth place individual finish, the FGCU women's cross country team opened the 2021 campaign with a fifth-place finish at the FAU Invitational on Wednesday night at the BA South County Regional Park.
"We are grateful for another opportunity to compete," said head coach
Cassandra Goodson. "On the women's side, we had some newcomers really step up including freshman
Karley Piers finishing in the top four. All of the women kept engaged and fighting for every spot, which is good to see early in the season. It was a solid effort but we look forward to getting back to the nest and get to work."
Piers (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS) was competing in her first collegiate race for the Green and Blue where she clocked a time of 18 minutes, 39.1 seconds. That marked the second-fastest time for a freshman in program history for a 5K race.
Along with Piers, the Eagles had four total runners in the top 30. Senior
Mary McCullough (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista HS/Colorado Mesa University) shaved nearly three seconds off her previous personal best on a 5K course with a time of 19 minutes, 39.3 seconds to finish 23rd. Her prior best was 19 minutes, 42.1 seconds which she set last spring at the ASUN Championship.
Junior
Reilly Ritter (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca HS) and freshman
Blake Petrick (St. John's, Fla./Creekside HS) finished 29
th and 30
th, respectively, with times of 20 minutes, 2.50 seconds and 20 minutes, 7.7 seconds.
Senior
Julia Filip (Owasso, Oklahoma/Owasso HS) rounded out the scoring runners for the Eagles as she clocked a time of 21 minutes, 41.5 seconds.
Miami won the overall team title with 26 points with UCF (49 points) and Stetson (74 points) falling just behind. FAU (109 points) placed just ahead of the Eagles (126 points).
FGCU will return to action on Friday, Sept. 17 when the Eagles head to the FSU Open at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.
Team Results:
- Miami – 26 points
- UCF – 49 points
- Stetson – 74 points
- FAU – 109 points
- FGCU – 126 points
- FIU – 167 points
- Lynn – 184 points
- Keiser – 253 points
- Bethune-Cookman – 257 points
- Florida A&M – 260 points
Individual FGCU Results:
4.
Karley Piers – 18:39.1
23.
Mary McCullough - 19:39.3
29.
Reilly Ritter – 20:02.5
30.
Blake Petrick – 20:07.7
45.
Julia Filip – 21:41.5
47.
Maricel Esquilin (Bonita Springs, Fla./Estero HS/Stetson) – 21:47.9
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 volleyball 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 22 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.
