2017 Men's Cross Country - Year In Review
Bob Braman, Head Coach
David Beauchem, Director of Operations
Justin Garrard, Volunteer Assistant
Click here to see individual mug shots
2017 Men's Cross Country - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Bob Braman, Head Coach David Beauchem, Director of Operations Justin Garrard, Volunteer Assistant Click here to see individual mug shots |
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Tyler Dau, Geneva, Ill.
Tom Hogarty, Metuchen, N.J.
Caleb Pottorff, Fort Pierce
Istvan Szogi, Tata, Hungary
2017 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R Name Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
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* David Barney Sr-R Lynchburg, Va. (E.C. Glass/William and Mary)
* Michael Callegari Sr London, England (Saint Mary's)
* Steven Cross So * Merritt Island (Merritt Island)
Tyler Dau Fr Geneva, Ill. (Geneva Community)
Bert Freire Fr-R Miami (Columbus)
* Michael Hall Sr *** Cincinnati, Ohio (Saint Xavier)
Tom Hogarty Sr-R Metuchen, N.J. (Saint Joseph/Maryland)
Bryce Kelley Sr-R *** Hope Valley, R.I. (Chariho)
* Stanley Linton Sr-R ** Crawfordville (Wakulla)
* Matt Magee Sr-R Lutz (Steinbrenner)
Tyson Murray So-R * Tallahassee (Chiles)
Caleb Pottorff Fr Fort Pierce (Lincoln Park Academy)
Will Simons So-R * Hartland, Wis. (Arrowhead)
* Istvan Szogi Jr-R Tata, Hungary (Vetesi Albert/Southern Utah)
2017 Conference Awards
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David Barney Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
All-Conference - 1
2017 Schedule and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covered Bridge Open Boone, N.C. |
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| Virginia Tech Invitational Blacksburg, Va. |
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| Notre Dame Invitational Notre Dame, Ind. |
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| FSU Invitational | |||||
| Wisconsin Invitational Madison, Wis. |
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| Crimson Classic Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
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| ACC Championship Louisville, Ky. |
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| NCAA South Regional Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
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| NCAA Championship Louisville, Ky. |
EOY StatsRef Overall Home Away Neutral ------------------------------------------------ FSU record is 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0
2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 Syracuse 27 2 Virginia Tech 73 3 North Carolina State 98 4 Virginia 100 5 Florida State 152 6 Wake Forest 182 7 Notre Dame 206 8 Georgia Tech 238 9 Duke 261 10 Pittsburgh 285 11 North Carolina 315 12 North Carolina State 345 13 Miami 370 14 Boston College 378 15 Louisville 384
2017 EOY Stats
Team Overall Name Races Top 7 Top 10 Wins =============================================== David Barney 7 7 3 0 Michael Hall 7 6 2 0 Matt Magee 7 5 0 0 Steven Cross 6 6 0 0 Michael Callegari 5 5 1 0 Istvan Szogi 5 5 1 0 Stanley Linton 5 5 0 0 Bryce Kelley 4 4 2 0 Tyson Murray 4 3 1 0 Bert Freire 3 1 0 0 Tom Hogarty 3 0 0 0 Will Simons 2 0 0 0
Barney Leads Way As XC Men Pull Out Narrow Win.
Callegari, Linton decide outcome at Covered Bridge Open.
BOONE, NC – Graduate transfer David Barney’s runner-up finish provided the Florida State men’s cross country team with the low stick it needed at Friday’s Covered Bridge Open and the balance of the Seminoles’ makeshift lineup did what was necessary to pull out the team win.
Barney covered the soggy 8,000-meter State Farm Fields course in 26:02.46, 10 seconds behind UT-Martin’s Edwin Kurgat, with his FSU teammates Bryce Kelley (5th, 26:14.25) and Tyson Murray (9th, 26:25.91) providing top 10 finishing support.
Michael Callegari (15th, 26:31.63) and Stanley Linton (16th, 26:33.51) rounded out the scoring five with the deciding finishes as the Seminoles edged NCAA Division II power Southern Indiana by four points, 43-47, for the team title.
“I couldn’t be more pleased for an opening race,” FSU men’s coach Bob Braman said. “We were able to win over a really good team, deal with some adversity with rain, mud and a crowded course, and we had some great individual performances.”
The Seminoles competed at less than full strength with veterans Steven Cross and Michael Hall sitting out, along with touted newcomers Istvan Szogi and Caleb Pottorff.
Barney, a three-time All-Colonial performer during his undergrad career at William & Mary, helped pick up the slack, as did Kelley and Murray, who were thrust into more prominent roles for the first time in their careers. Kelley, a graduate student in his fifth year at FSU, is coming off strong summer of training; much of which came alongside Murray, a redshirt sophomore who starred at Tallahassee’s Chiles High.
“I was especially pleased with Bryce and Ty,” Braman said. “We’re going to need big races out of those guys this year. And David Barney is the front-runner we hoped he would be.”
Were it not for the back-to-back finishes by Callegari and Linton, the Noles would have fallen to Southern Indiana. The two teams were deadlocked at 28 points apiece with their first four runners across.
Callegari’s performance was especially important. The senior from Great Britain, racing for the first time since undergoing hip surgery in December, was rock-solid in his return to competition. And Linton, a graduate student returning to collegiate competition for the first time since the 2015 cross country season, provided the decisive points on the heels of his teammate. The former Wakulla High star is competing for the Noles as a grad student while serving a tour in the Navy.
“A bonus for us was the healthy return of Callegari,” Braman said. “He’s only going to get better as he gets fit.
“It was also great to have Stan back in action. He keeps the pack calm in mid-race and that’ll be the key going forward.”
Matt Magee (27th, 27:01.58), Bert Freire (34th, 27:17.51) and Tom Hogarty (45th, 27:44.05) rounded out the FSU runners in the field of 126.
UT-Martin finished third (89 points), followed by East Tennessee State (95) and host Appalachian State (95).
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 2 David Barney 2 26:02.46 5 Bryce Kelley 4 26:14.25 9 Tyson Murray 8 26:25.91 15 Michael Callegari 14 26:33.51 16 Stanley Linton 15 26:34.28 27 Matt Magee 26 27:01.58 34 Bert Freire 31 27:17.51 45 Tom Hogarty 27:41.89
Mircheva, XC Women Win Again; Men Second At VT.
Noles women go 1-2-3; Barney third to pace men.
BLACKSBURG, VA - With a little over a half-mile remaining in Friday's Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational race, sophomore Megan Mooney knew the Seminole women were well positioned to win.
"Going into the last part of the race, the last half-mile, I could see Militsa [Mircheva] going up the last hill, saw Jodie [Judd] a little behind her and then the girl from Ohio," said Mooney, who was running fourth over the rolling hills of the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course. "I knew if I could pass her it would be a 1-2-3 finish.
"I just gave it all I've got the last 100 or 200 to get that girl."
Mooney sprinted past her target - Ohio senior Eileen Isaac - with 100 meters to go, securing that 1-2-3 finish to mathematically assure the Seminoles their second team title in as many meets this season.
Mircheva, a junior, won her second individual title of the season, cruising the 6,000-meter course in 20:45.0 to outdistance Judd, the runner-up in 21:15.6 in her freshman debut with the Noles. Mooney was third in 21:24.9.
Senior Emily Edwards (seventh, 21:46.3) and junior Sarah Candiano (12th, 22:13.3) closed out the 25-point team total as the Noles hammered runner-up Ohio (55 points), host Virginia Tech (87) and the rest of the 14-team field.
"This is amazing," Mircheva said. "This year our team is very dedicated, so we really want to be in a good place as a team. Today was a really a great race for the team and I feel good when I can be a part of a team like that."
FSU's men were not quite as successful, finishing second to 26th-ranked host Virginia Tech, which was victorious by a 36-55 margin.
Graduate transfer David Barney led the Noles for the second consecutive meet, finishing third overall and second among collegians in the field of 147 finishers. It was a happy homecoming for the Lynchburg, Va. native, who ran as an undergrad at William & Mary but was getting his first look at the Virginia Tech course.
"I enjoyed being back, being home, seeing my family and racing some people that I know," said Barney, who covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:52.4 and trailed unattached runner Willy Fink (24:48.0) and Morehead State's Farah Abdulkarim (24:50.4) across the finish line.
"I just tried to stick to the race plan; keep the first three miles under control and work the last two. I was with the [Virginia] Tech guys the last mile and I know they can kick so I tried to put some distance on them the last mile and then hold them off. There were some good guys up front other teams, and it's early in the season so I don't quite have the finishing speed yet."
The short-handed Seminoles, ultimately, didn't have quite enough firepower to withstand a late push by a five-pack of Hokies, who grabbed finishing positions 6-9 and 11th, split by FSU senior Michael Hall (10th, 25:12.0).
Sophomore Tyson Murray (16th, 25:31.6), grad student Bryce Kelley (18th, 34.8) and sophomore Steven Cross (19th, 25:35.4) rounded out FSU's top five.
"We know VT really well and there are two things you know about them," FSU coach Bob Braman said. "They're going to run really well on their home course and there's always a guy that you don't know who he is that is going to run well and there was one today.
"They're a top-20 team and it kind of gives us a target. We're about 10 seconds a man average behind them and we still have Istvan [Szogi] and Stan [Linton] that are going to plug in and those are veterans. I think they might have handled it a little better. We have a couple guys who are just coming into their own in cross country for the first time ever - Bryce Kelley, Ty Murray and Steven Cross. Those guys are finding themselves and they're running in an environment that was Virginia Tech's best and they ran well."
With Szogi and Linton not in the lineup, and Michael Callegari still on the comeback trail following offseason surgery, the Noles figure to make gains throughout the season, which begins in earnest at the Joe Piane/Notre Dame Invitational in two weeks.
"I can tell our team is strong right now and still learning how to race, but it's early, so we'll just keep learning and keep improving," Barney said.
While the Seminole men didn't quite have the depth to contend with Virginia Tech, the depth of the women's team was clearly on display.
Third-year coach Kelly Phillips' charges placed five in the top 12, nine in the top 20 and had all 13 finishers across the line in the top 27.
"From top to bottom I thought they ran really well," said Phillips, after her team - picked to finish 10th in the ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll - easily handled a Hokies squad tabbed for third in the conference. "I'm excited to see what they can do in a bigger competition when it really matters. I think they're starting to realize, when they start comparing other times from previous races here, that they can run with top teams."
While the Noles will get that test at Notre Dame, the Seminole women are clearly riding an emotional high.
"It's so exciting," Mooney said. "I'm very excited for November to come around. I wish it was here already. Things are clicking and the workouts are going great. Everyone is pushing each other. Having people so close together basically through nine girls, it makes it a lot more competitive and people are wanting to push harder to get on that travel team. I'm loving the team this year."
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 3 David Barney 2 24:52.4 10 Michael Hall 9 25:12.0 16 Tyson Murray 13 25:31.6 18 Bryce Kelley 15 25:34.8 19 Steven Cross 16 25:35.4 31 Matt Magee 25 25:52.2 38 Michael Callegari 31 26:01.8 83 Will Simons 27:42.5
Mooney, Judd Lead Young Women To Solid Showing.
Noles finish 11th against strong Piane Invitational field; men are 16th.
NOTRE DAME, IN - There was no shortage of bright spots for the Florida State women's cross country team at Friday's 62nd running of the Joe Piane Invitational at Notre Dame.
The Seminoles finished 11th out of 20 teams in their first test of the season against the nation's strongest assembled field to date, knocking off a pair of ACC rivals and a South Region foe in the process. Most encouragingly, three of the Noles' top four finishers were freshmen or sophomores.
Sophomore Megan Mooney led the way, placing 35th in the deep field, covering the rocket-fast Burke Golf Course track in 17:07.8. Freshman Jodie Judd was on Mooney's heels, placing 39th (17:10.3), while fellow frosh Addi Coggins was 80th (17:47.0).
"We've got a lot of good young pieces," said FSU women's coach Kelly Phillips. "We were good but not great today and I guess if you're not going to be great, today is the day to do it. They were solid all of the way through."
Junior Militsa Mircheva, who won the first two meets of the season in runaway fashion, was FSU's third finisher in 17:40.8 (66th). Senior Emily Edwards' gritty 84th-place finish (17:48.8) rounded out the Seminoles' scoring five.
"Militsa had a little bit of a tough day," Phillips said. "This is the first time she's had to be around people so I think it might have thrown her, so I think she learned from it.
"Addi Coggins was phenomenal. She ran really well. We had a good pack and moving forward as we get to Wisconsin, if MIlitsa is back where she belongs we're a very good team."
Though courses differ drastically, four of FSU's top five finishers registered cross country personal-bests for 5,000 meters. So did junior Althea Hewitt (18:08.1), who was the Noles' sixth finisher and 111th overall.
Mooney, who shaved 16 seconds and 37 positions off her 2016 finish at Notre Dame, was ecstatic over her individual effort and encouraged by how she and her teammates performed.
"Last year I PR'd from high school by about 10 seconds, so this year I was looking for another big PR, which came," the Colorado native said. "Knowing the course and knowing how well I ran last year really boosted my confidence for this year…I definitely did not get a good start, so just staying calm helped me a lot and I knew I had a lot of time to make up ground."
Mooney and Edwards were the only two Noles who had previously raced the course, which is not only tight and fast, but on this day was jammed with seven nationally ranked teams including No. 1 Colorado, No. 3 New Mexico and No. 6 NC State, which finished 1-2-3.
"Now that we have this big race out of the way, when we get to other big races like ACC's and Regionals, with less people than this one, we will be able to focus more on what the goal is and run more as a team," Mooney said. "We will be able to find each other. We know what we have and we can do it."
Phillips believes Friday's race experience will carry over.
"This will get them to say, 'OK, this is where we are and this is where we need to be,'" Phillips said. "They got a chance to run with two of the best teams in the country, and they want to be that. If you want to be that in a year or two, you need to get your butt kicked by them…
"We have some things we need to tweak but that's why you come to these meets, to see what you're missing and what you need to fix. Overall I think we leave very solid and healthy."
There was a decidedly different tone emanating from the Seminole men, who placed 16th in the field of 21 teams.
"This is a meet I like coming to," men's coach Bob Braman said. "It's high risk, high reward and we came up on the bad side of that. It's very difficult to come here and train through it…I think we're a tired team right now. And we're missing two big pieces with Steven Cross having a really bad head/chest cold and Michael Callegari hasn't come back physically from his surgery yet.
"It's hard to have a couple of your plug-in pieces unplugged. You've got two non-scorers right away and then the other guys are trying to patch it together."
David Barney led the Noles for the third consecutive meet, finished 62nd in 24:43.3 over the five-mile course. Senior Michael Hall was 73rd in 24:54.7, his best time and finish in three appearances at the Burke Golf Course, while Bryce Kelley rounded out the top three in 25:00.9 and 85th overall.
Stanley Linton (93rd, 25:06.3) and Istvan Szogi (98th, 25:08.7) accounted for the final two scoring spots among Noles, who did manage to knock off ACC foes Notre Dame and Pitt, but were well back of South Region rival Alabama and No. 30 NC State, which placed eighth and ninth.
"I know we're a lot better team," Braman said. "It's a really good meet and if you're off a little bit and you don't suck it up and fight through you're going to get punished. That's what happened to us. It's a brutal sport. When you're tired and struggling a lot of people can beat you and your weaknesses stand out a little more than your strengths."
That the Noles escaped the meet unscathed on the health-front, aside from Callegari pulling out of the race in the late stages as he continues his comeback from injury, was one plus. So was the fact that the top five finished within 25 seconds of each other, albeit not as fast as they will need to be moving forward.
"It's still September," said Braman, whose squad completed the first of three consecutive meets. "It's no time to panic. We've got the home meet. Maybe this changes things for Friday. Maybe we go out to the home meet and do a little soul-searching; maybe we find out where we are and maybe we're a little better than we were today."
The Seminoles host the FSU Invitational on Friday, Oct. 6, with the men leading a full weekend of racing off with an 8,000-meter race at 7:40 a.m. followed by the women's 5,000-meter race at 8:20 p.m.
Then it's off to Wisconsin for the Nuttycombe Invitational, a meet that will be far deeper in talent than the Joe Piane Invitational, which included five nationally-ranked teams.
"This whole thing can turn in two weeks," Braman said. "We can go to Wisconsin and be who I think we are and all of a sudden you've got the [NCAA qualifying] points, you've got the momentum and you go into the conference meet with a little bounce in your step."
MEN 5-Mile RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 62 David Barney 61 24:43.3 73 Michael Hall 71 24:54.7 85 Bryce Kelley 80 25:00.9 93 Stanley Linton 87 25:06.3 98 Istvan Szogi 92 25:08.7 130 Steven Cross 120 25:45.5 133 Matt Magee 123 25:48.6 140 Tyson Murray 25:54.7
Storming The Field, Noles Roll To FSU Invitational Titles.
Hall leads men; Mircheva posts third win for women.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The missions were similar and so were the results.
With eyes on the quickly approaching postseason, the Florida State men's and women's cross country teams spent Friday morning at Apalachee Regional Park purposefully cruising to FSU Invitational team titles.
With Michael Hall, David Barney and Michael Callegari claiming third, fourth and fifth-place finishes, the Seminole men had no trouble authoring their fourth consecutive FSU Invitational title. Five Noles were among the first eight across the finish line in the 7,882-meter race, easily capturing top honors in the six-team Division I scoring column.
"I was really pleased with today's race," said FSU men's coach Bob Braman, whose Noles finished with a meager 20 points. "We had a race plan that will set us up well for Wisconsin next week, and we executed it perfectly. I think we were actually a bit fast but we were able to keep our pack together anyway."
Florida A&M's David Too (24:15.6) claimed top individual honors as the other hometown team finished second with 62 points, edging Florida in a tie-breaker.
The Seminole women were turning in an equally dominating performance behind the 1-2 finish of junior Militsa Mircheva and freshman Jodie Judd. Stuffing five runners in the top 10 left FSU with a 24-point total, easily out-distancing runner-up Jacksonville (50). The Gators were third with 71 points.
"We had three different goals," FSU women's coach Kelly Phillips said. "We had a group coming out to race hard, a group that was trying to get on the ACC team and then a group that was using the race as a tempo run with a strong last mile to make sure we had a good final finish.
"I'm happy to announce they all followed their plan, which can sometimes be tough, because you're watching some people go out really hard and you're trying to hold yourself back. That's not easy when you're competitive. They all did a really nice job of sticking to the plan while having some fun and still getting some work done."
Bouncing back from a sub-par performance last week at Notre Dame, Mircheva came cruising across the finish line in 17:45.2 at the end of 5,000 meters. It was her third win of the season in four starts.
Judd was second in 17:52, followed by junior Althea Hewitt (fifth, 18:04.4) and freshman Addi Coggins (sixth, 18:05.1). Forever Young was FSU's fifth scorer, placing 10th (18:25.8).
The women's depth was on display as six more Noles were among the 20; good enough to win the meet on their own.
Fatema Jaffer (12th, 18:28.1), Madison Harris (14th, 18:31.6), Megan Mooney (15th, 18:34.5), Mackenzie Landa (16th, 18:37.1), Elizabeth Jenkins (17th, 18:40.9) and Emily Edwards (18th, 18:41.6) came streaming across in an impressive swarm.
On the men's side, Hall was FSU's No. 1 runner for the first time in his career. The senior from Cincinnati, Ohio ran 24:32.1 for a comfortable margin in front of Barney (24:46.1) and Callegari (24:47.2).
Kelley (seventh, 24:49.7) and Szogi (eighth, 24:55.8) provided the final two scoring spots for the Noles, who stuffed four more inside the top 20 as well. Steven Cross (12th, 25:09.0), Ty Murray (15th, 25:24.7), Matt Magee (16th, 25:28.5) and Bert Freire (20th, 25:46.2) made up that group.
"Hall and Barney have run well every time they've worn the colors and today was no different," Braman said. "Callegari and Kelley continued their progress from injuries and Isti and Cross are also getting better each week."
More important than the outcome for the men was the flushing of a 16th-place team finish at Notre Dame last Friday.
"We really needed some momentum after Notre Dame and we definitely achieved that today," Braman said.
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 3 Michael Hall 2 24:32.1 4 David Barney 3 24:46.7 5 Michael Callegari 4 24:47.2 7 Bryce Kelley 5 24:49.7 8 Istvan Szogi 6 24:55.8 12 Steven Cross 9 25:09.0 15 Tyson Murray 11 25:24.7 16 Matt Magee 25:28.5 20 Bert Freire 25:46.2 44 Tom Hogarty 26:36.8 66 Will Simons 27:26.9
Hall-led Men’s XC Team Steps Up At Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invite.
Noles claim three ranked wins with 23rd place finish.
VERONA, WI – Racing against 20 of the nation’s top 30 ranked teams, the Florida State men’s cross country team advanced their cause heading into the postseason with a 23rd-place finish at Friday’s Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.
Led by senior Michael Hall’s 78th-place finish (24:34.0) in the 8,000-meter race, and a chase group of four runners separated by just 11 seconds, the Seminoles knocked off nationally ranked Illinois (No. 26), ACC rival Virginia (18) and host Wisconsin (28) in the field of 35 teams.
“I thought we competed out tails off,” FSU men’s coach Bob Braman said. “Maybe we didn’t get that big sexy finish, but I’m real pleased with it. We definitely stepped forward and definitely showed we’re going in the right direction.”
“I feel good about sizing up the people we’ve got to beat [in the postseason].”
Hall was the Seminoles’ top finisher for the second consecutive meet, mowing down 22 runners over the final 2,000 meters, crushing that distance in 5:47.
“Mike has become a real good cross country, which was his mission this year,” Braman said. “When you come out of a field like this and you place in the 70s, you’ve had a good day. There were some points in the race where he really had a chance at a much higher finish, but he’s still learning it. He’s still learning that the super intense pain goes on for a long time and not just one or two laps. I’m real pleased with him. He runs within himself and he runs smart.”
David Barney was running in the top 60 at the halfway point, but faded in the final stretch at the Zimmer Championship Course. He was eventually caught by Stanley Linton, and the two finished side-by-side, with Linton 115th (24:52.7) and Barney 116th (24:52.8). Michael Callegari (130th, 24:56.5) and Steven Cross (149th, 25:03.3) closed out the Seminole scorers, with Istvan Szogi finishing 171st (25:13.2).
“David Barney had a great, great race going and just tightened up – got a stitch or something – and was afraid he was going to go out the back [of the pack],” Braman explained. “He was just in management mode and it cost him a lot of spots. He responded and got it going again and chased Stan in.”
Braman was most encouraged by the improved performances of Callegari and Cross, who have been battling ailments.
“Everybody is moving forward,” said Braman, whose team now turns its attention to the ACC Championships in two weeks.
While the men’s team was making strides, coach Kelly Phillips’ women hit their first bump of the season, placing 28th out of 33 teams.
The Noles were once again led by junior Militsa Mircheva (70th, 20:56.8) and freshman Jodie Judd (72nd, 20:58.3), but didn’t get their third runner - sophomore Megan Mooney – home until the 149th position. Mooney ran 21:41.9 for the 6,000-meter race on a day when the field which included 16 of the nation’s top 30 teams was extraordinarily fast.
“No excuses, we just didn’t race well today,” Phillips said. “We have two weeks to regroup and get better. They will be fine. They know they are better than that.”
Mircheva and Mooney paid dearly for slow starts as they were forced to push their way through a field of 225 runners. The Noles were also short-handed as freshman Addi Coggins was a pre-race scratch for precautionary reasons.
Sarah Candiano (180th, 22:07.8), Emily Edwards (182nd, 22:08.7) and Althea Hewitt (191st, 22:15.9) rounded out the finishers.
In the collegiate men’s open race, redshirt sophomore Tyson Murray, competing individually, finished 61st (26:00.6).
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 78 Michael Hall 78 24:34.0 115 Stanley Linton 115 24:52.9 116 David Barney 116 24:53.1 130 Michael Callegari 130 24:56.8 149 Steven Cross 149 25:03.6 171 Istvan Szogi 171 25:13.5
Young strong for women at Crimson Classic.
TUSCALOOSA, AL - Junior Forever Young continued her breakout campaign Friday at the Crimson Classic, placing 55th overall to lead all FSU women in the 6,000-meter race at the Harry Pritchett Running Course, site of the NCAA South Region meet.
Young shaved 36 seconds of her previous 6k-best – set earlier this season at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational - finishing in 21:52.6 to virtually assure a place on the Seminoles’ ACC Championships roster.
Junior Fatema Jaffer (66th, 21:59.6), sophomore Maudie Skyring (80th, 22:13.0), freshmen Jennifer Lima (121st, 22:47.1), Micaela Torres (132nd, 22:56.7) and Elizabeth Jenkins (133rd, 22:59.1), and senior Bella Poole (135th, 23:00.7) followed in support.
The Seminoles finished 15th overall in the field of 31 teams, competing well against some of the top teams in the South Region, despite the fact that they were fielding a split squad.
Competing individually in the men’s 8,000-meter race, Matt Magee was FSU’s top finisher (84th, 26:07.2), followed by Bert Freire (110th, 26:28.6) and Thomas Hogarty (136th, 26:53.3).
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 81 Matt Magee 26:07.2 105 Bert Freire 26:28.6 130 Tom Hogarty 26:53.3
Mircheva, Barney-Led Men's Pack Shine At ACC Championships.
Men show signs of growth with fifth-place team finish.
LOUISVILLE, KY - Militsa Mircheva and the Florida State men's cross country team found validation - and success - with their performances at Friday's Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.
Mircheva backed up her three-win inaugural campaign with the Noles, placing sixth overall, while the men's team rode a strong four-man performance led by graduate transfer David Barney to a fifth-place team showing at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.
"I knew that I could be in this position, but I just needed to prove it," said Mircheva, who covered the 6,000-meter course in 20:08.9. "After today, I feel a little more confident that if I do the right things, success will come."
The junior from Bulgaria calmly put together the best ACC Championship finish by an FSU female since Colleen Quigley was runner-up in 2014.
"I was absolutely so calm, I didn't even have one-percent excitement," she said. "I was thinking, 'I'm going to have fun and do a solid workout today with some pretty good girls.'
"I went a little bit slower the first kilometer. My goal wasn't to catch the pack from the beginning, but about 1.5k I was with them already. I just stayed calm and tried to stay as strong as I can."
By executing that plan, Mircheva earned All-ACC honors. So did Barney, who was 21st overall and finished the 8,000-meter race in 24:02.1. More importantly, Barney had company from his teammates as Stanley Linton (26th, 24:05.7), Michael Hall (29th, 24:11.5) and Istvan Szogi (31st, 24:14.4) finished within 12 seconds of each other.
That pack mentality wasn't enough to reel in fourth-ranked Syracuse, which won its fifth consecutive men's title with a meager 27 points. Eleventh-ranked Virginia Tech (73 points), No. 22 NC State (98) and Virginia (100) were the only teams from the field of 15 in front of the Noles.
"That's pretty awesome," Barney said, after picking up his first All-ACC medal. "That was definitely some motivation the last 3k of the race, knowing that I was that close. My top goal coming in would have been top-10 but I knew that was going to be tough and my past two races have really been a struggle. Today I really just hoped to have a good race and I think this was a step forward; keeping the positive momentum for myself and the team going into regionals was huge."
Barney, who won All-Colonial honors at William & Mary last season, was most encouraged by the efforts of his teammates.
"I don't go into a race hoping to be our No. 1," Barney said. "I know we've got a lot of good, talented guys who have done great things in the past. I think it's the same situation for the team as it is individually. We've got so much positive momentum; the pieces are just coming together. Once we move up to 10k we're going to be a scary team. I'm pretty excited."
So is Linton, the U.S. Navy Ensign who was All-ACC in 2015 for an FSU team which advanced to the NCAA Championships and has designs on making a return trip - back at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park - with his teammates next month.
"Going into the [NCAA] postseason I think we're in a great spot given the field we were against today," said Linton, one of four grad students in the men's lineup. "The competition was pretty stout today, but we did our part. We performed and feel really good going into the regional meet. We've got plenty of things in our favor.
"We bump up to the distance we're prepared for and we are consistently getting better each week. That was our plan all along, to really be at our best at this point when it really matters."
FSU men's coach Bob Braman was encouraged by what he saw, but understands that the Noles need to get at least one more, if not two runners, with his top four at the NCAA South Region meet in two weeks.
Michael Callegari was FSU's No. 5 finisher (47th, 24:30.2) and Steven Cross was No. 6 (75th, 25:06.0).
"I think we're better than we were at Wisconsin," Braman said. "We're going to have to be better than this to make nationals. We've got to get fifth and sixth, who are very talented guys, in that pack. If we had five in that pack today I would tell you that's good enough to make it, but we didn't.
"We've got 14 days to improve and I think we could be better within that pack...There were a lot of good indicators, a lot of good pointers, but we'll have to be better. This is not good enough to get to nationals."
While the men's team made significant inroads in the postseason opener, the women struggled to rise to the occasion, beyond Mircheva and a few others.
"Militsa came in with a lot of confidence and was really relaxed," FSU women's coach Kelly Phillips said. "That's the first time I've seen her in a championship type situation where she was really relaxed and she looked great the whole race. She just looked so comfortable. Her form was phenomenal and it's the first time after a race where I've really seen her proud of herself. She was really excited."
The Seminole women, however, finished ninth for the second consecutive year; well outside what Phillips had envisioned for her squad.
"That was really disappointing," Phillips said. "I didn't see it coming because they came in with great attitudes, great spirit. The three that put it out there from early on raced well."
Freshman Jodie Judd finished 26th in her ACC Championships debut, powering home on a sore leg in 20 20:59.7. Senior Emily Edwards, a transfer from Alabama, parlayed he huge personal-best of 6,000 meters (21:19.5) into a 43rd-place finish.
Junior Sarah Candiano, one of just three Noles with ACC Championship experience, posted her best finish in three tries (66th, 21:51.9), followed by redshirt junior Forever Young (78th, 22:03.1), who was making her championship debut.
"Militsa should be up with the top girls at regionals," Phillips said. "Now we just need the rest of her team to run the same way. Jodie ran really tough and that was a huge PR for Emily. The three of those girls ran really, really well, and ran really tough. Candiano continues to get better each year and that's good for her to see."
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 21 David Barney 21 24:02.1 26 Stanley Linton 26 24:05.7 29 Michael Hall 29 24:11.5 31 Istvan Szogi 31 24:14.4 47 Michael Callegari 45 24:30.2 75 Steven Cross 69 25:06.0 86 Matt Magee 80 25:20.3
XC Noles Post Pair Of Strong Fourths At South Region.
Judd, Hall lead way as FSU lands five All-Region honors.
TUSCALOOSA, AL - Unfazed by the moment, Florida State freshman Jodie Judd set the tone for Friday's NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships, charging to the front from the gun at the Harry Pritchett Running Park.
Hanging on for a 10th-place finish in her first NCAA postseason foray, Judd guided the Seminole women to a fourth-place finish.
Forty minutes later, senior Michael Hall followed the same course of action, racing up to the front at the start en route to a career-best 11th-place finish as the men finished fourth.
In both cases, the fourth-place finishes left the Noles women and men two spots shy of qualifying for next week's NCAA Championships, despite arguably season-best performances from both squads.
"You always hope that you do it at the right time," FSU women's coach Kelly Phillips said. "They just really ran for each other. It was awesome and I was so excited for them. You always want to be top-two, but that was a great day for us; three spots up from a year ago when we walked away bitter.
"Now they know it's not out of their reach."
In a significant bounce-back from their ninth-place ACC Championships finish, the Seminole women rode All-Region performances from Judd and lone senior, Emily Edwards (21st), to a 129-point total which trailed only Ole Miss (59), Georgia (73) and Samford (94) in a field of 31 scoring teams. Phillips' squad came into the meet ranked fifth in the region.
Florida State men's coach Bob Braman had a similar takeaway after his fourth-ranked men posted a 128-point total, that trailed Middle Tennessee State (71), Ole Miss (76) and Alabama (95); three nationally-ranked teams. Hall was joined on the All-Region team by David Barney (17th) and Stanley Linton (24th).
"While we didn't make it to nationals, which was our goal, I still think we ran our best race of the year," Braman said. "The top three ran their best races of the year…In the end, it would have been very, very hard to be in the top two, (requiring) 75 points."
That was the mountain both teams were facing as the morning unfolded.
Phillips instructed her team to get out quickly at the start of the 6,000-meter race, and collectively they complied behind Judd's lead.
"We did that," said Judd, who finished in a personal-best 20:20.1. "It just so happened we were in the front group and once I was there, I thought, 'Well, the only way is backwards so I might as well try and stay up there as long as I can.'
"We all really wanted to run well for each other as a team. When I saw myself up there I was like, 'I've got to do it for the rest of the girls.' I think everyone felt the same way."
Edwards, the Alabama transfer running her final collegiate cross country race on familiar soil, certainly did.
"I'm so proud of us," said Edwards, who laid down a 6k career-best time of 20:38.1 and All-Region honors for the first time. "I thought coming in that the odds were kind of stacked against us, but I knew if we put our best foot forward and ran with our hearts we would do well. Every single person did that today and I could not be prouder to be a part of this team."
While Militsa Mircheva (26th, 20:45.7) was slightly off her best, Megan Mooney (31st, 20:51.6), Forever Young (46th, 21:12.1), Addi Coggins (75th, 21:35.2) and Althea Hewitt (95th, 21:51.8) all ran the fastest 6,000-meter races of their careers.
"The progress has been great," said Phillips, who had six underclassmen in the lineup. "You always want it faster, but everything is progressing really well. We have a really great young group and some people at home that can certainly help our top five, and then signing Elizabeth Funderburk, who is a difference-maker."
In contrast, Braman sent five of seven runners to the line who would be competing in their final collegiate races. Clearly, there was a sense of urgency from that veteran group.
Hall, who had finished 32nd, 31st and 30th in his three previous South Region meets - and had never dipped below 31 minutes for 10,000 meters - minimally had his eyes on All-Region honors for the first time.
"It was absolutely a goal and even a bigger goal was to not let potentially my last race leave a sour taste in my mouth," Hall said. "I wanted to go out with a bang. I didn't want to look back and say, 'I wish I would have done this or that.' I wanted to push and push and push…ultimately until I couldn't push any more. That's what I think I did today…
"Quite honestly from the start of the race, Coach Braman says to match the intensity of each race, and there was a gut feeling telling me that this race was going to go out hard and so coming off the line I just pushed out hard and went."
Hall held steady to finish in 30:58.5 - a personal-best - and has an outside shot of qualifying individually for the NCAA Championships, if Alabama gains at at-large berth.
Barney, whose best finish in three Southeast Region meets for William & Mary was 45th, settled in nicely from the start and came home with a rock-solid 17th-place finish in 31:21.2.
"You're always hungry for a little more, but from where I came from, this has definitely been my best cross country season and my best regional finish," Barney said. "Keeping it in perspective, I've got to be happy with it."
Linton, the Navy Ensign and online graduate student commuting from Iowa to meets for the Noles, turned in his finest effort of the year. The Wakulla, Fla. native finished 24th in 31:36.9, to earn All-Region honors for the second time as a Seminole after finishing 14th in 2015, when he and his teammates won the title and advanced to the championships.
"Personally, I did OK," Linton said. I probably could have done better, but I probably could have done worse…I've been progressively getting better and I was happy finishing in that top 25.
"As far as team-wise, as much as we wanted to be in that top two, the top two was really stout this year. You've kind of got to respect their resumes going in. The region has gotten a lot tougher than it has been in previous years when we've gotten through."
Junior Istvan Szogi finished 41st (32:08.9) and was followed by sophomore Steven Cross (49th, 32:14.0) to round out the scorers, after Michael Callegari pulled out past the midway point while running in the fourth spot for the Noles. Matt Magee was 97th (33:23.5) in his 10k region debut.
"Today I thought we did a pretty good job and were just not quite good enough," Braman said.
MEN 10K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 11 Michael Hall 11 30:58.5 17 David Barney 15 31:21.2 24 Stanley Linton 22 31:36.9 41 Istvan Szogi 36 32:08.9 49 Steven Cross 44 32:14.0 97 Matt Magee 91 33:23.5
Hall Finishes 132nd At NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Senior caps harrier career by nearly matching 10k PB.
LOUISVILLE, KY - Supported by family and friends on a wind-swept day just 90 miles from his hometown, Florida State senior Michael Hall closed out his cross country career with the Seminoles at Saturday's NCAA Championships.
One of 38 individual qualifiers in the field of 255 on E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park course, Hall virtually duplicated his qualifying effort from eight days earlier to finish 132nd overall in 30:58.78 over 10,000 meters.
"It was what I expected it to be," Hall said, shortly after completing the race. "I went out hard. I knew the wind would be tough, but I wanted to find the pack and sit with the pack and then go."
Hall was inside the top 100 at 4,000 meters, but as the race progressed under blustery and soggy conditions, it was difficult to make much headway over the final half of the race.
"It was tough," Hall said. "There was not much of a move. The wind would hit you sideways and then a headwind. It was get to a spot, tuck in and hang on."
FSU men's coach Bob Braman was pleased with the performance of the Cincinnati, Ohio native, who came to Tallahassee as one of the nation's elite high school middle distance runners, and will close his career as one of a handful who competed in three NCAA Championship races.
"I thought Mike ran really tough," Braman said. "The goal was top 100 and he was 10-12 seconds from that goal. He went out hard and put himself in the pack, but just couldn't quite hold it."
Hall earned his place in the field with an 11th-place individual finish at the NCAA South Region meet, where he ran a 10,000-meter personal-best of 30:58.5. To come within two one-hundredths of a seconds of matching that mark eight days later - in just the seventh 10k race of his career - was no small feat.
"I'm slightly disappointed because I felt like I should have performed a little better," Hall said. "But having run a 10k eight days ago, and being able to replicate that, I'm not terribly disappointed."
Hall's presence marks the 17th consecutive season the Noles have been represented at the NCAA Championships. Reigning ACC champion Justyn Knight of Syracuse won the individual title Saturday, while Northern Arizona captured its second consecutive team crown.
MEN 10000 Meters RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 132 Michael Hall 30:58.78