LAKELAND, Fla. (Cross Country) – The Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) cross country teams traveled to Holloway Park in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday evening for the SSC Preview (NCAA) meet.

The course conditions proved to play a factor throughout several teams on race day as it was a hot and humid evening with little to no wind. The men finished ninth of 14 teams while the women placed tenth of 11 teams.

The men's race kicked off first at 5:00 p.m. Dylan Royal, Caleb Melendez, and Lash Bradshaw ran a strong race working together throughout finishing within 30 seconds of one another.

While they did not post new personal records, Jovanni Matos, Josh Cargill, Royal, Bradshaw, and Melendez each shaved off time from the last race at this course earlier this season.

The women ran a 6K race at this meet. Lily Novac continues to lead the Lakehawk women finishing with a time of 31:15.9.

Carley Carrol also improved her race time from the Lakehawks' previous race at Holloway Park by nearly four minutes.

Head coach Cristy Snellgroves shared her thoughts about the teams' performances on the difficult course, "The afternoon heat took a toll on the athletes this evening, with the blistering heat and humidity and this being the first time most of the women had run a 6k.

"Many of them ran a faster time this week in these challenging conditions compared to the last race at Holloway Park which shows grit and determination. I am very proud of them.

They continue to encourage each other, push each other, and hold each other accountable. We look forward to the next week of training to prepare for the Region 8 Championship meet," said Coach Snellgroves.

Final Results – Men

Dylan Royal, 29:29.6

Lash Bradshaw, 29:33.3

Caleb Melendez, 30:09.1

Jovanni Matos, 33:51.5

Logan Shaw, 34:41.1

Rosendo Manuel Tovar, 35:22.2

Connor Parrish, 36:29.8

Joshua Cargill, 38:11.3

Final Results – Women (6K)

Lily Novac, 31:15.9

Demaris Soto, 34:03.8

Emma Santiago, 35:07.7

Rubianna Novac, 36:58.8

Madeleine McKenna, 38:17.2

Nasjai White, 38:39.5

Carley Carrol, 39:43.5

Lorelei Teninty, 41:09.1

Victoria Silva, 41:40.9

Andrea Morales-Moncada, 42:21.0

Up next for the Lakehawks

The Lakehawk men's and women's cross country teams will return to Tallahassee, Fla. for the 2023 FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Cross Country Championships at Appalachee Regional Park on Tuesday, October 24.

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