HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Karley Piers (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS) led the FGCU women's cross country team as she took 36^th place individually at the ASUN Cross Country Championship held at the John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama on Saturday. The Eagles, placed 12^th as a team.
 
"We improved in many ways from last season. We hoped to have a better result but that being said the women showed a lot of fight this race," said head coach Cassandra Goodson. "We are happy for Karley and Mary running personal bests. Blake is running more consistent at her new level, so we are making progress, We will continue to work hard for regionals in a few weeks."
 
Piers led the Eagles with a time of 17: 54.20 which was the sixth fastest 5K time in program history. This was a personal best as she ran 18: 05.53 at the North Alabama Showcase back on Sept. 16.

Blake Petrick (St. John's, Fla./Creekside HS) crossed the line next for the Green and Blue in 18:41.50 and grabbed 74^th place. Mary McCullough (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista HS/Colorado Mesa University) was one spot behind in 75^th and with a time of 18:41.90 which is over one minute faster from her 19:43.9 which she ran two weeks ago at USF.

Freshman Gabrielle Spain (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Washington HS) was up next in 76^th (18:42.10) with Reilly Ritter (Tabernacle, N.J./Seneca HS) stopping the clock at 19:55.50 to take the 97^th spot.

 Rounding out the FGCU performances on the day was Maricel Esquilin  (Bonita Springs, Fla./Estero HS/Stetson), who completed the course in 20:34.70. and finished 108^th.

Lipscomb won its ninth ASUN title with 35 points, while Liberty placed second (45 points). Calli Doan of the Flames won the individual title and was the ASUN Runner of the Year for a second time completing the course in 16:21.00.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Friday, Nov. 11 at the NCAA Regionals hosted by North Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.
 
First Team All-Conference
1. Calli Doan, Liberty (16:21.00) - Runner of the Year
2. Lydia Miller, Lipscomb (16:26.50)
3. Colbi Borland, Lipscomb (16:34.20)
4. Jone Zabaleta-Larranaga, Eastern Kentucky (16:45.40)
5. Caroline Timm, Kennesaw State (16:46.80)
6. Hayleigh Palotti, Jacksonville (16:49.90)
7. Ava Gordon, Liberty (16:50.50)

Second Team All-Conference
8. Kayla Werner, Liberty (16:54.30)
9. Liza Corso, Lipscomb (16:56.00)
10. Ally Suyak, Lipscomb (17:00.70)
11. Mackenzie Barnett, Lipscomb (17:02.50)
12. Anna Hostetler, Liberty (17:05.50)
13. Anouk Van Gils, Eastern Kentucky (17:06.50)
14. Sarah Hendrick, Kennesaw State (17:13.20)

Third Team All-Conference
15. Kiara Carter, Lipscomb (17:20.10)
16. Grace Kilroy, Eastern Kentucky (17:24.10)
17. Catherine Farrell, Liberty (17:26.00)
18. Letizia Martinelli, Queens (17:27.60)
19. Aly Negovetich, Lipscomb (17:29.60)
20. Priscillah Kiplagat, Liberty (17:33.20)
21. Emma Sullivan, Jacksonville (17:35.30)

All-Freshman Team
Ava Gordon, Liberty (16:50.50) - Freshman of the Year
Kayla Werner, Liberty (16:54.30)
Letizia Martinelli, Queens (17:27.60)
Aly Negovetich, Lipscomb (17:29.60)
Katrina Schlenker, Liberty (17:38.90)

Coach of the Year
Nick Polk, Lipscomb

Team Scores
1. Lipscomb - 35
2. Liberty - 45
3. Eastern Kentucky - 102
4. Kennesaw State - 106
5. North Florida - 158
6. Queens - 172
7. Bellarmine - 239
8. Stetson - 241
9. Jacksonville - 265
10. Central Arkansas - 289
11. North Alabama - 293
12. FGCU - 320
13. Jacksonville State - 349
14. Austin Peay - 406

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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--