Tallahassee, Fla. – Both the men's and women's Lake-Sumter State College cross country teams competed in their final event before the Region 8 Meet later this month.
Some of the top NCAA Division I programs from across the country were in attendance. Florida State University Head Coach, Bob Braman said, "There's never been a cross country meet this big and this competitive. There's been nothing like it hosted in the history of the state of Florida. This is a big-time meet."
The men's team came into this event having dropped from No. 12 in last week's National Poll, to No. 15. They are the second highest ranked program from the state of Florida behind only Dayton State at No. 4.
Only three NJCAA institutions competed at the Apalachee FSU Invitational this past weekend. The race is very important as it is the same course the teams will run in the Region 8 Meet. Nicholas Atkinson finished sixth among NJCAA competitors with a time of 27:51.9. Colton Berquist was the next Lakehawk to cross the finish line, in a time of 28:00.2. Immediately following behind was teammate, Zachary Paladino at 28:08.0. Both LSSC runners found themselves inside the top 10 at eight and nine, respectively.
"The race went out fast," said Head Coach, Cristy Snellgroves. "Colton Berquist went out with intention to run a personal best. Nicholas Atkinson stayed just off the back of him the entire race until the kick to the finish with Colton right on his heels, and running a personal best for an 8K event. Zachary Paladino had another impressive race, finishing close behind, knocking another 14 seconds off his previous best time."
Coming into the race, the women's team ranked No. 20 in this week's National Poll. Kyja Williams was the top finisher for LSSC, demonstrating why her team is ranked among the top NJCAA DII programs in the country. The sophomore ran the event in 25:54.6, placing her third among NJCAA runners. Erica Bunk finished 10th with a time of 29:21.4. She was followed by teammates Alexis Doll and Meridith Richemond who came in separated by just 0:06.7 between them. They finished 11th and 12th respectively.
"I feel the excitement and distraction of such a big race and the nervousness caused by such a competitive race definitely had an effect on our women's team," said Snellgroves. "However, they will be able to build on that experience going into the Region 8 Meet. We will be working hard this week and focused on goal setting and mental strategies to become stronger during the races."
Snellgroves added, "This race was tough, but a great experience and I am excited for them to go into the Regional Meet with a couple more weeks of training and the experience of running on this course."
With the regular season coming to a close, all eyes turn to the Region 8 Meet, Friday, October 29. The race will take place at the same venue it was held this past weekend, Apalachee Regional Park.