Tallahassee, Fla. (Cross Country) – With 14 personal records (PRs), three season highs and a new program record, Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) men's and women's cross country competed among 29 other NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA teams at the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. on Friday morning.
The men's race kicked off first, competing in a field of 306 athletes. The team raised the bar this week, posting a top-20 finish overall and second among NJCAA teams, after Daytona State as well as all 10 Lakehawk runners setting new personal bests.
Sophomore Colton Berquist shattered the school record he broke just two weeks ago by almost an entire minute, with an 8,000-Meter time of 25:37.9.
Berquist and Eastern Florida's Dyaton Law were battling a downhill sprint to the finish line, finishing just one tenth of a second apart. Berquist was the top finisher for the Lakehawks and fourth among NJCAA runners.
Following Berquist's lead, the men's team was 10-for-10 with PRs. Cooper Krug came next for the Lakehawks with a time of 26:48.7, good for eight among the NJCAA. Krug is also now the third fastest men's runner in program history after Berquist and All-American alum, Alex Croy.
Caleb Melendez finished with a time of 27:10.1, and Nikolas Gibson finished at 27:39.0. Julio Rojas and Santos Aguilar finished back-to-back, Rojas with a time of 27:44.0 and Aguilar with a time of 28:00.5.
Freshman Tavin Bradshaw followed with a time of 28:57.0 and Eric Major at 30:01.3. Cody Canterbury finished with a time of 31:22.7 and Rosendo Tovar-Corono rounded out the Lakehawks with a time of 34:27.1.
Head Coach Christy Snellgroves had great things to say about the team after the races, "We've had some really tough workouts, both in the gym and on the track this past week and the hard work is paying off. The men's team performed phenomenally this week."
The Lakehawk women ran shortly after the men, competing in a field of 280 runners. The team improved significantly individually posting four PRs and several others within seconds of their best times.
Lily Novac was the top-finisher for LSSC with a stellar PR of 22:02.8. Annagrace Weathers came next posting a time of 23:16.8, followed by Meridith Richemond at a season-best 23:44.9, just six seconds shy of her personal best time.
Solerys Torres Cardona posted a time of 23:57.3, with Katelyn Lopez not far behind at 24:10.8, knocking off three minutes from her previous personal best time. Alexis Doll posted a season-best 24:45.3 and Anna Delena recorded a new PR of 25:23.5.
Stacey Clark finished at 25:36.7, good for a new season-best, and Carley Carrol rounded out the Lakehawks beating her previous best by four minutes with a time of 30:32.2.
"I am very proud of the women's team and their drive to get better every week. We will be pushing hard the next two weeks striving to achieve personal and collective goals as a team," said Snellgroves.
Next up for the Lakehawks
The team will travel to Tampa, Fla. for the USF Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 15. Visit www.lakehawksports.com and follow @LakehawkSports on Twitter for the most up-to-date news on LSSC Athletics.