The FSCJ BlueWave men's and women's Cross-Country teams raced well at the Mountain Dew Invitational on the Mark Bostick golf course at the University of Florida.
The teams finished 27th and 32nd out of a field of 67 teams. Freshman, Ally Newkirk led the women's team again this week. Newkirk, Bohm, Perry, Valaro, Shearer, and Griffin posted season's best times on the hilly course and beat cross state rival, Lake-Sumter State College, by one point. Former Orange Park High School runner, John Bear, led the men's team for the 3rd week with a season's best time of 28:16, averaging 5:41 per mile. Aldren Biala held the 2nd spot with a time of 29.55, and Gage West moved into the 3rd position on the team with his best race of the season. West was followed by Stone, Nixon, and DeSando. Sophomore Brandon Russell suffered a sprained ankle two miles into the race but finished with a course PR of 32:13 to round out the top 7. The men beat conference rival Daytona State College for the 1st time and cross-town rivals, Jacksonville University and Edward Waters College.
"This is a big race with many excellent teams, and we always race well here," said Cross Country Head Coach, Jody Hale. "It's great to leave a meet where your team performed so well that you can't wait for the next meet."
Next week the BlueWave will be at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University for the ASICS XC Classic on what is considered the toughest cross-country course in the state.