TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- Rhyen Foley turned in the second best 6k time by a freshman in program history to lead the way for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at the 2026 NCAA South Regionals in Tallahassee on Friday. Foley and Alise Petrova notched top 100 finishes for FGCU while the Eagles finished ahead of instate rivals FAU and FIU in 24^th place as a team. 

Ryhen Foley's MO has been pretty steady all season, and Friday at the NCAA South Regionals it was no different.  The freshman paced herself off the line before blowing through the field late to card the Eagles' best finish at the event. Foley went from 131^st at the 1000m mark to 120^th in the next 1000m, before continuing her charge into the top 100 by the 4000m mark and gaining nine spots in each of the last two 1000m for an 82^nd place finish.
Her 21:31.5 was the second best 6k time by an FGCU freshman in program history. 

Alise Petrova ran with Foley most the way. Petrova was just 2.3 seconds behind Foley at the 4000m mark as the two both made the push to crack the top 100 and reached that by gaining six places to the 5000m line. She held off three runners behind her to cross the line at 21:45.0, good for a 97^th place finish. 

Juliana Courville was next to cross the line for the Eagles, turning in a 22:29.6 in 136^th place while Addison Torres was right behind her with a 22:31.0, good for 139th. Freshman Madison Janke was the Eagles final point scorer of the day with a 23:24.5 in 185^th place. 

FGCU finished with 621 points as a team, good for 24^th place, well in front of FAU behind them who closed with 703. Alabama won the event with five runners in the top seven while Florida was second and Vanderbilt and Florida State tied with 115 points. 

"I am incredibly prouf of the team for competing fearlessly today" FGCU head coach Argeo Cruz said. "We knew we were stepping into a highly competitive field with ACC and SEC programs, but these are the opportunities that help us grow and continue building. Rhyen delivered an outstanding performance to close out her season on a high note! We are excited for what's ahead for this group." 

The meet brings the Eagles 2026 season to a close with a number of memorable milestones for the program.  FGCU finished 3^rd at the ASUN Championships, tying their best finish in program history while winning the Ed Holloway Classic for the second straight season and finishing in the top five at both the Nike Town Twilight and the Florida Intercollegiate Invitational. 

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