Lakehawk Cross Country Posts Runner Up Finish at Alligator Lake
LAKE CITY, Fla. (Cross Country) – The Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) men's and women's cross country teams rose to the challenge at the 14th Annual Alligator Lake Invitational, a true cross country course full of sharp turns, wooded trails, and root-covered paths. The demanding terrain created challenging footing for competitors, but despite those obstacles, the Lakehawks came out with a pair of team runner up finishes and valuable momentum heading into championship season.
Against a competitive field including Saint Leo University, College of Central Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville FSCJ), and the UF Running Club, the Lakehawk women delivered a powerful performance, finishing second with 42 points.
Both Oksanna Smith and Lily Lewis earned top-10 overall medals leading the Lakehawk charge.
Smith ran a season-best time of 21:53.2, finishing fifth overall and second among NJCAA athletes. Lewis clocked a personal record (PR) of 22:23.2 for seventh overall and third of NJCAA athletes.
Neelyanis Lugo Ramos posted a PR of 22:58.1, finishing 11th overall and fourth in the NJCAA field. Maria Oliveira followed finishing in 13th with a PR of 23:39.7.
Closing out the scoring five is Abigail Hersh with a 16th place finish and a PR of 24:23.6.
"I am so excited with the progress and improvement our women are making," said Head Coach Cristy Snellgroves. "They continue to step up with every race, and to see so many personal bests and top-finishes at this point in the season makes me incredibly proud."
"We are looking forward to a focused three-week training block that will set us up for success heading into the FCSAA Championships in Tallahassee."
The Lakehawk men also earned runner-up honors, finishing second with 46 points, just three points behind FSCJ. The competitive field also featured Saint Leo, and the UF Running Club, providing the team with a strong test that they met head on.
At the front, Spencer Palmer delivered a breakthrough race, running 26:49.9 to place third overall and first in the field of NJCAA runners. Elijah Palmer, getting stronger every week, posted a time of 27:35.5, placing sixth overall and third of NJCAA runners.
The team's depth made a difference on Friday morning, with Thatcher Clarke coming in at 13th with a time of 29:08.8, Bryce Blalock at 14th with a time of 29:15.3, and Issa Issaku finishing in 29:33.4 for 12th place.
"I am so proud of our men for learning strategy and race tactics and stepping up to push themselves. I know there is still a lot left in the tank, and I am looking forward to a couple of weeks of hard work before we hit championship season."
"Elijah is getting stronger with every race, and considering this was not a particularly fast course, the times show just how much potential this group has. We are just scratching the surface of what we can do," said Coach Snellgroves.
The team will take the next two weeks off to prepare for the 2025 FCSAA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. on Oct. 24.
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