FORT MYERS, Fla. – The last time Alise Petrova ran the 5K in Tampa, she won the race. On Friday evening, the FGCU sophomore will look for a repeat performance as the Eagles cross country team will race at the Tampa Distance Classic beginning at 5 p.m.

Petrova clocked 17:26.73 at the Tampa Track Classic on Feb. 21. Now, three weeks later, she looks to claim gold again and improve upon her time when the women's 5K begins at 7:30 p.m. She won't be the only one looking to leave the field in the dust, either.

Siyabonga Mokgothu set a new school record in the 3K at the February meet in Tampa and now turns his attention to the 5K. The sophomore runner has a personal best time of 14:51.66, which he ran at the same meet last year. He'll need to shave 20 seconds off that time, which currently ranks seventh in program history, to dethrone former Eagles runner and current head coach Argeo Cruz for the best mark in school history. Cruz clocked 14:31.89 in the 5K at the Florida Relays when he was a senior in 2014.

Mokgothu will be joined by nearly a dozen other Eagles in the 5K race while two FGCU runners – Innocent Ntwali and Elmer Mijangos – will compete in the 1,500m at 5:10 p.m.

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