TAMPA, Fla. – FGCU men's cross country took first place at the USF Invitational with four runners among the top 12 to finish with a total of 54 points.
 
On the women's side, sophomore Karley Piers (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS) won her first collegiate race in a time of 18.34.6 and led the team to a second-place finish.
 
"Obviously we are very proud of Karley for being the overall champion! She executed the race plan and showed a lot of heart at the end. Mary also had a really solid day! This should give her a lot of confidence going into the conference championships. The women overall look very strong and they should be proud of their performance," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. " Its always nice to come away with the win. The men really stepped up. Bramwell ran an awesome race and executed the plan perfectly. Franklin, Matt and Israel also pushed themselves and contributed to the win. Ryan has a 40 second PR, so proud of his improvement! It's nice to see that all the guys are hungry and we can count on each other".
 . 
Bramwell Havi (St. Louis/Mo./Lindenwood) was the first Eagle to cross the line on the men's side, finishing fifth with a time 26:19.5. His teammates followed closely behind as freshman Israel Gamez (Ruskin, Fla. /Lennard HS) was 9^th with a time of 26:56.9. Franklin Caceres (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS and Matthew Speruta (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida Baker HS) came in 10^th (26:59.4) and 11^th (26:59.5), respectively.

The women's team had four top 13 finishers with a total of 57 points.  Freshman Gabrielle Spain (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Washington HS) was after Piers in fifth (19:12.4) while Mary McCullough (Highlands Ranch, Colo./ Colorado Mesa University) stopped the clock at 19.43.9 for 12^th place and sophomore Blake Petrick (St. Johns, Fla. /Creekside HS) followed closely behind to take the 13^th (19:55.3)spot.

FGCU will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 29 when the Eagles head to the ASUN Championship at the John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
Men's Team Top 10 Results:

1. FGCU – 54 points
2. Stetson – 67 points
3. Florida Southern – 97 points
4. Daytona State College – 103 points
5. USF – 118 points
6. Lynn – 141 points
7. FIU – 155 points
8. Lake Summer State College – 218 points

 
Men's Team Individual FGCU Results:
5. Bramwell Havi  – 26:19.5
9. Israel Gamez – 26:56.9
10. Franklin Caceres – 26:59.4
11. Mathew Speruta – 26:59.5
19. Ryan Kinney (Cape Coral, Fla. /Ida Baker HS) – 27:21.8
84. Benjamin Hermiston (Sherrill, Iowa/Dubuque Hempstead HS) - 29:31.5 


Women's Team Team Top 10 Results:

1. Stetson – 44 points
2. FGCU – 57 points
3. FAU – 57 points
4. South Florida – 68 points
5. Lynn – 166 points
6. Flager – 176 points
7. Pasco-Hernando State College – 190 points
8. Nova Southeastern – 223 points
9. Florida Gateway College – 238 points
10. FSCJ – 310 points

 
Women's Team Individual FGCU Results:
1. Karley Piers - 18:34.6
5. Gabrielle Spain – 19:12.4
12. Mary McCullough (Highlands Ranch, Colo./ Colorado Mesa University) – 19:43.9
13. Blake Petrick – 19:55.3
28. Reilly Ritter (Tabernacle, N.J/ Seneca HS) – 20:42.3
48. Marciel Esquilin (Bonita Springs, Fla. /Estero HS) – 21:36.0
85. Mercy Kosgei (Eldoret, Kenya /Nyabururu Girls) – 23:00.9

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 15 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 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 92 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 45 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative team GPA. 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.
 
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