2021 Women's Cross Country - Year In Review
Bob Braman, Head Coach
Alex Midgett, Assistant Coach
Click here to see individual photos
2021 Women's Cross Country - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Bob Braman, Head Coach Alex Midgett, Assistant Coach Click here to see individual photos |
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Phillips Retires from Coaching.
After six seasons at the helm of the women's cross country program, head coach Kelly Phillips is stepping away
from coaching.
July 14, 2021
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After six seasons at the helm of the Florida State women's cross country program, head coach Kelly Phillips retired from coaching on July 2.
"My time at FSU has been incredible," Phillips said. "I'm so grateful for Coach Braman to take the chance on me 24 years ago as a new coach at USF and then to hire me again six year ago to come to FSU,"
"I will miss a lot of things about FSU, mostly the student-athletes that have taught me so much. They kept me on my toes and made me laugh on a daily basis."
Phillips arrived in Tallahassee in 2015 and brought the Florida State women's distance program back into the limelight, winning consecutive NCAA South Regional titles in 2018 and 2019.
Her runners were also pivotal in securing five ACC Championships between Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field.
In a unique season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Phillips guided the Seminoles to a 15th place finish at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships, led by two All-Americans, Maudie Skying and Rebecca Clark in March of 2021, just days after running at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Skyring's 23rd place finish (20:40.5) in the 6K was the highest at the meet since Colleen Quigley also took 23rd in 2014. The Australian took home her third All-American honor in three days, after anchoring the distance medley relay to a third place finish and she placed eighth in the 3,000M at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Clark added a 40th place finish (20:59.3), marking the first time since 2012 the Noles had a pair of All-Americans at the same meet. Clark also captured All-American second team honors after her 12th place finish in the 5,000M.
Phillips took home the USTFCCA South Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year trophy following the 2021 indoor season.
In 2019, the Seminoles placed 12th at the NCAA Championships, improving 14 spots from 2018, which was the first trip to NCAAs for FSU since 2014. A trio of Noles captured All-ACC honors, which was the most since 2013, while leading the team to a runner-up finish.
FSU's women have piled up 11 All-South Region honors between 2018 and 2019, with a high of six in 2019.
In 2018, Militsa Mircheva followed up her South Region individual title to become FSU's first cross country All-American since Quigley in 2014. She also set a pair of school records on the track.
For her efforts, Phillips captured back-to-back South Region Cross Country Coach of the Year honors.
Phillips' Noles have established four new school records and authored 14 total (10 indoor/4 outdoor) new all-time, top 10 marks on the track.
Phillips arrived at FSU from Miami of Ohio, where she spent six seasons as the women's cross country and track & field head coach, leading the Redhawks women to a pair of Mid-American cross country titles. She was a two-time MAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year (2009, 2013).
Prior to Miami, Phillips was an assistant at Purdue (2005-09), which followed a three-year coaching hiatus while running the Claremont Trails Running Camp in New Hampshire. Phillips cut her coaching teeth at USF, succeeding Braman as the head men's and women's cross country and track & field coach in 2000.
Phillips led the Bulls to three conference cross country titles - twice with the women and once with the men - Phillips was a three-time Conference USA Cross Country Coach of the Year and two-time South Region Coach of the Year. She added CUSA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year honors in her final season. In all, Phillips guided 33 Bulls to the NCAA Championships.
"We wish Kelly the very best in her retirement," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "She did a fantastic job rebuilding our women's distance program. She's set the cross country team up for a top five national finish this Fall. I knew she was a special talent when I first hired her at USF in 1997, and we were lucky to bring her to FSU six years ago,"
"I know family is huge for her, and so this is her chance to put that focus on them."
September 15, 2021
Tallahassee, Fla. - The Florida State cross country and track and field programs welcomed two new assistant coaches and elevated Alex Midgett last week.
Midgett was promoted to the women's assistant cross country and distance coach after serving as the operations assistant. She will work with head coach Bob Braman, who will be the head coach for both men's and women's cross country and track and field programs.
Doug Reynolds comes to Tallahassee with a wealth of coaching experience and will be the assistant throws coach, while 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Leevan Sands will serve as the assistant jumps coach.
Midgett starts her first season as the women's cross country and distance assistant coach after serving as the operations assistant since 2018. In 2022, she will start her second season as the assistant distance coach for the women's track and field program.
"I'm so excited to promote Alex to our full-time women's assistant cross country and distance coach," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "She's worked with us for five years, so she's truly prepared for this role. Alex knows our team better than anyone, so it's a great transition for our program for the two of us to coach the ladies together."
Before assuming this role in her sixth year on the FSU staff, she served as a volunteer assistant coach from 2016-18 before moving into the operations position.
Midgett was also the camp director for two years for the Seminole Trails Running Camp.
In addition to this role, Midgett worked as the General Manager at Capital City Runners LLC for one year. She also coached at a six-week running camp hosted by Gulf Winds Track Club where she led elementary- to high school-age students in warm-ups and trail runs.
Outside of coaching, Midgett started a run-specialty department at Trail and Ski in Tallahassee, which has now grown into Cadence Running.
Midgett graduated from Florida State University in 2016 with a degree in exercise physiology. She competed for four seasons on the cross country and track & field programs. She earned an ACC Honor Roll selection all four years and recorded personal bests in each of her last four meets as a collegiate athlete.
A native of Orange Park, Fla., Midgett ran XC and track in high school and still holds three school records in the 300m hurdles and as a part of the 4×800 and 4×400 relays.
"I am so grateful for this new role and opportunity to continue working with such a talented group of athletes and support staff," Midgett said. "Over the years, I have been fortunate to see this team grow and develop into something truly special. My goal is to further build upon the team values and success that my mentor, Coach Kelly Phillips, built during her time here,"
"We have an amazing team culture," Midgett added. "They all challenge each other to be better. Big things are coming this season and I am very excited to get to work. Go Noles!"
Paola Bencosme, Miami
Lauren Bing, Ponte Vedra Beach
Katie Hibbard, Satellite Beach
Toba Kahn, Boca Raton
Evie McIver, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Agnes McTighe, Valais, Switzerland
Grace O'Malley, Naples
Maria O'Malley, Naples
Madie Slater, DeWitt, Mich.
Summer Steere, Weston
Dani Thompson, Sun Prairie, Wis.
2021 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R Name Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yasmine Abbes So-R ** Nijmegen, Netherlands (Stedelijk Gymnasium)
Riley Bahr Jr Cincinnati, Ohio (Wyoming)
* Amanda Beach Sr Melbourne (Melbourne Central Catholic/Duke)
Paola Bencosme Fr Miami (Braddock)
* Rebecca Bergnes So * Miami (Braddock)
Lauren Bing Fr Ponte Vedra Beach (Ponte Vedra)
Kaley Boethig Sr-R Punta Gorda (North Port)
Lindsay Boethig Sr-R Punta Gorda (North Port)
Melanie Castro So Orlando (Winter Park)
* Alyson Churchill So * Tallahassee (Chiles)
* Rebecca Clark Jr ** Mount Dora (The Villages)
Addi Coggins Sr-R *** Franklin, Tenn. (Independence)
Ashley David Jr Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Seaholm)
Elizabeth Funderburk Jr-R *** Moultrie, Ga. (Colquitt County)
Katie Hibbard Fr Satellite Beach (Satellite)
Avery Hultquist So Tallahassee (Chiles)
Rachel Johnson Jr Tampa (Alonso)
Toba Kahn Fr Boca Raton (Spanish River)
* Jenn Lima Sr-R ** Palm Harbor (East Lake)
Sarah Magee Jr Odessa (Steinbrenner)
Nicole McConnell Sr Coral Springs (Coral Springs)
Evie McIver Fr Newcastle upon Tyne, England (Winter Springs)
* Agnes McTighe Fr Valais, Switzerland (ECCG-EPP of Sion)
Grace O'Malley Fr Naples (Community School)
Maria O'Malley Fr Naples (Community School)
Morgan Palmer Jr Naples (Palmetto Ridge)
* Erin Phelps Sr ** Tallahassee (Chiles)
Alondra Reyna-Lopez Sr LaBelle (LaBelle)
* Lauren Ryan Sr-R * Brighton, Australia (Geelong Grammar/Villanova)
Abby Schrobilgen Jr Tallahassee (Chiles)
* Maudie Skyring Sr-R **** Wollonong, Australia (Illawarra Grammar/Wollonong)
Madie Slater Fr DeWitt, Mich. (DeWitt)
Summer Steere Fr Weston (Cypress Bay)
Kaia Stevenson Sr Panama City Beach (Arnold)
Ella Swigler Sr Lynn Haven (Mosley)
Dani Thompson Fr Sun Prairie, Wis. (Sun Prairie)
Isabella Timiraos So Miami (Our Lady of Lourdes Academy)
Kate Tugman So Gorham, Maine (Gorham)
Emma Jane Warren Sr Fernandina Beach (Bishop Kenny)
* Caitlin Wilkey So * Tallahassee (Chiles)
Quinn Wilson So Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington North)
2021 Conference Awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauren Ryan Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
Maudie Skyring Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
All-Conference - 2
2021 All-Americans
Name Organization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauren Ryan NCAA - - 26th place
All-Americans - 1
2021 Schedule and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covered Bridge Open Boone, N.C. |
|||||
| FSU XC Open | |||||
| Joe Piane Invitational Notre Dame, Ind. |
|||||
| Asics Invitational Fairburn, Ga. |
|||||
| FSU XC Invite/Pre-Nationals | |||||
| FSU XC Invite Open Division | |||||
| ACC Championship South Bend, Ind. |
|||||
| NCAA Regional Florence, Ala. |
|||||
| NCAA Championship |
EOY StatsRef
2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 North Carolina State 20 2 North Carolina 87 3 Florida State 102 4 Syracuse 105 5 Notre Dame 114 6 Boston College 216 7 Virginia Tech 219 8 Georgia Tech 229 9 Duke 247 10 Virginia 263 11 Wake Forest 268 12 Pittsburgh 373 13 Louisville 399 14 Miami 407 15 Clemson 407
2021 EOY Stats
Team Overall Name Races Top 7 Top 10 Wins =============================================== Lauren Ryan 7 7 4 1 Amanda Beach 7 7 2 0 Maudie Skyring 7 7 1 0 Erin Phelps 7 6 0 0 Rebecca Clark 6 6 0 0 Agnes McTighe 5 5 1 0 Jenn Lima 5 5 0 0 Rebecca Bergnes 5 3 2 0 Caitlin Wilkey 4 2 2 0 Riley Bahr 4 2 1 0 Alyson Churchill 4 2 0 0 Kaley Boethig 4 1 0 0 Evie McIver 3 2 0 0 Dani Thompson 3 2 0 0 Ella Swigler 3 2 0 0 Melanie Castro 3 2 0 0 Lauren Bing 3 1 0 0 Alondra Reyna-Lopez 3 0 0 0 Kaia Stevenson 3 0 0 0 Summer Steere 3 0 0 0 Rachel Johnson 3 0 0 0 Quinn Wilson 3 0 0 0 Grace O'Malley 3 0 0 0 Isabella Timiraos 3 0 0 0 Toba Kahn 3 0 0 0 Nicole McConnell 2 0 0 0 Madie Slater 2 0 0 0 Maria O'Malley 2 0 0 0 Lindsay Boethig 1 0 0 0 Emma Jane Warren 1 0 0 0
| 09/03/2021 Covered Bridge Open 5K |
09/17/2021 FSU XC Open 6K |
10/01/2021 Joe Piane Invitational 5K |
10/02/2021 Asics Invitational 5K |
10/15/2021 FSU XC Invite/Pre-Nationals 6K |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yasmine Abbes | |||||
| Riley Bahr | |||||
| Amanda Beach | |||||
| Paola Bencosme | |||||
| Rebecca Bergnes | |||||
| Lauren Bing | |||||
| Kaley Boethig | |||||
| Lindsay Boethig | |||||
| Melanie Castro | |||||
| Alyson Churchill | |||||
| Rebecca Clark | |||||
| Addi Coggins | |||||
| Ashley David | |||||
| Elizabeth Funderburk | |||||
| Katie Hibbard | |||||
| Avery Hultquist | |||||
| Rachel Johnson | |||||
| Toba Kahn | |||||
| Jenn Lima | |||||
| Sarah Magee | |||||
| Nicole McConnell | |||||
| Evie McIver | |||||
| Agnes McTighe | |||||
| Grace O'Malley | |||||
| Maria O'Malley | |||||
| Morgan Palmer | |||||
| Erin Phelps | |||||
| Alondra Reyna-Lopez | |||||
| Lauren Ryan | |||||
| Abby Schrobilgen | |||||
| Maudie Skyring | |||||
| Madie Slater | |||||
| Summer Steere | |||||
| Kaia Stevenson | |||||
| Ella Swigler | |||||
| Dani Thompson | |||||
| Isabella Timiraos | |||||
| Kate Tugman | |||||
| Emma Jane Warren | |||||
| Caitlin Wilkey | |||||
| Quinn Wilson |
| 10/15/2021 FSU XC Invite Open Division 6K |
10/29/2021 ACC Championship 8K |
11/12/2021 NCAA Regional 6K |
11/20/2021 NCAA Championship 6K |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yasmine Abbes | ||||
| Riley Bahr | ||||
| Amanda Beach | ||||
| Paola Bencosme | ||||
| Rebecca Bergnes | ||||
| Lauren Bing | ||||
| Kaley Boethig | ||||
| Lindsay Boethig | ||||
| Melanie Castro | ||||
| Alyson Churchill | ||||
| Rebecca Clark | ||||
| Addi Coggins | ||||
| Ashley David | ||||
| Elizabeth Funderburk | ||||
| Katie Hibbard | ||||
| Avery Hultquist | ||||
| Rachel Johnson | ||||
| Toba Kahn | ||||
| Jenn Lima | ||||
| Sarah Magee | ||||
| Nicole McConnell | ||||
| Evie McIver | ||||
| Agnes McTighe | ||||
| Grace O'Malley | ||||
| Maria O'Malley | ||||
| Morgan Palmer | ||||
| Erin Phelps | ||||
| Alondra Reyna-Lopez | ||||
| Lauren Ryan | ||||
| Abby Schrobilgen | ||||
| Maudie Skyring | ||||
| Madie Slater | ||||
| Summer Steere | ||||
| Kaia Stevenson | ||||
| Ella Swigler | ||||
| Dani Thompson | ||||
| Isabella Timiraos | ||||
| Kate Tugman | ||||
| Emma Jane Warren | ||||
| Caitlin Wilkey | ||||
| Quinn Wilson |
Wildschutt, Ryan, Lead Noles in Sweep of Covered Bridge Open.
BOONE, N.C. - The (RV/18) Florida State cross country teams opened the season by sweeping the Covered Bridge Open, which was held on the Don Kennedy Trails in Boone, N.C., by Appalachian State University.
The women's team started the day by winning the 5k with a total of 26 points and the men followed with the victory in the 8k with 36 points. It was the fourth-straight sweep of the event for the Noles.
"I was really pleased with both teams," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "We have a really tired squad from training, but everyone put on their competitive hats at race time. We're right where we need to be for this time of year."
The Seminoles were paced by two individual champions. The women's team was led by redshirt senior Lauren Ryan, who won the 5k with a time of 17:05.35 in her first cross country race since the 2019 NCAA Championships.
Ryan finished second in at the 2019 Covered Bridge Open, which was her FSU debut following two seasons at Villanova.
Adriaan Wildschutt took home his second career victory as a Seminole, dominating the race with a time of 24:48.53, finishing almost 20 seconds ahead of the next competitor.
"Adriaan and Lauren dominated their races today," Braman said. "But I was particularly pleased with how well our packs ran today. They worked well together."
Redshirt senior Amanda Beach followed Ryan in fourth place in her first race in the Garnet and Gold after spending four seasons at Duke, with a time of 17:19.64.
Caitlin Wilkey crossed the line in sixth (17:32.36) followed by Rebecca Bergnes in ninth (17:42.57) and Maudie Skying in 10th (17:44.62) to round out FSU's top five.
Erin Phelps (17:54.78) was 15th and Riley Bahr took 16th (17:55.33).
Following Wildschutt was Ahmed Muhumed in fifth place in the 8k with a time of 25:22.13. Paul Stafford (25:38.14), Jacob Holmes (25:38.15) and Silas Griffith (25:38.28) crossed the finish line nearly together in eighth, ninth and 10th place.
Gabriel Curtis (26:00.09) was 19th and Sam Field (26:31.55) was 40th.
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Lauren Ryan 1 17:05.35 4 Amanda Beach 3 17:19.64 6 Caitlin Wilkey 5 17:32.36 9 Rebecca Bergnes 8 17:42.57 10 Maudie Skyring 9 17:44.62 15 Erin Phelps 14 17:54.78 16 Riley Bahr 15 17:55.33
Wildschutt Wins FSU XC Open.
Tallahassee, Fla. - On a muggy morning, the (RV/19) Florida State cross country teams finished in the top three at the FSU XC Open at the Apalachee Regional Park.
Despite slower course conditions, the men were paced by Adriaan Wildschutt, who won the 8k race with a time of 23.21.9, roughly 11 seconds ahead of the next competitor. The Ceres, South Africa, native established himself as the leader early and started to pull away from the field by the 4k split.
Wildschutt never looked back and turned in the fourth-fastest collegiate 8k in Apalachee Regional Park history. He also owns the third-fastest mark, which he set back in February this year (23:16.7), which was his personal best.
"For me, this is my home course," Wildschutt said. "You want to be able to do something and get a win. But for me, today was more about the team and how we could score. It was a good measurement to see where we're at and things looked really good."
Ahmed Muhumed finished behind Wildschutt in fourth place with a time of 23:48.1, which was a personal best.
Paul Stafford followed in 16th place at 24:22.7, Jacob Holmes crossed the line in 36th (24:55.4) and Gabriel Curtis rounded out the scoring five in 39th place with a time of 25:00.7.
After factoring in unattached runners, the Seminoles placed third as a team with a tally of 83 points behind No. 5 Stanford (32) and No. 20 Furman (61). FSU finished ahead of Charleston Southern (141) and No. 25 Southern Utah (174) among others.
"The guys did a really good job," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "We've got some room, we left a little meat on the bone, but our first two were really good, with Adriaan getting the win and Ahmed placing fourth. Ahmed ran his best, ever, and today was not a fast course."
Lauren Ryan leads the Noles in the women's 6k.
The 19th-ranked women's squad finished second in the 6k behind the defending national champions and top-ranked BYU (24) with a total of 51 points.
The Seminoles established the team lead early on and built a 14-point edge over the Cougars by the 4k split, however BYU had a stronger finish to take the team win.
FSU was led by Lauren Ryan, who was running on her home course for the first time since the 2019 season. She crossed the line with at time of 20:50.8 for fifth place.
Finishing behind Ryan were freshman Agnes McTighe (21:01.4) in eighth and redshirt senior Amanda Beach (21:04.1) in ninth, who ran the majority as a pair.
Maudie Skyring made moves in the final 1K in order to place 13th (21:17.1) and Rebecca Clark (21:21.7) crossed the line in 16th place, just ahead of sophomore Alyson Churchill (21:22.1) in 17th.
"It was a good day overall," Braman added. "We don't usually race this hard this early, but once they get out here on their home course, you can't hold them back too much."
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 5 Lauren Ryan 5 20:50.8 8 Agnes McTighe 8 21:01.4 9 Amanda Beach 9 21:04.1 13 Maudie Skyring 13 21:17.1 16 Rebecca Clark 16 21:21.7 17 Alyson Churchill 17 21:22.1 32 Erin Phelps 27 22:02.8 37 Riley Bahr 22:11.8 49 Rebecca Bergnes 22:30.9 65 Evie McIver 21:51.3 75 Dani Thompson 22:59.8 88 Ella Swigler 23:19.4 139 Melanie Castro 24:06.5 142 Kaley Boethig 24:09.8 143 Lauren Bing 24:11.7 150 Alondra Reyna-Lopez 24:18.4 165 Kaia Stevenson 24:36.3 171 Summer Steere 24:42.0 175 Rachel Johnson 24:45.5 186 Nicole McConnell 25:02.5 187 Quinn Wilson 25:03.9 190 Grace O'Malley 25:08.2 214 Isabella Timiraos 25:44.8 224 Toba Kahn 26:00.4 250 Madie Slater 27:13.8 252 Maria O'Malley 27:15.6 262 Kaley Boethig 28:14.2
Wildschutt Makes History with Third-Straight Win.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The No. 29/18 Florida State cross country teams competed among 22 ranked teams at the Joe Piane Invitational hosted by Notre Dame on Friday.
The 18th-ranked women's team started the day by finishing seventh in the 5K and the No. 29 men took fourth in the 5-mile race.
With the track of the Burke Golf Course running slower than usual, on a warm, dry, sunny mid-western Fall morning, senior Adriaan Wildschutt picked up his third victory of the season in dominating fashion, crossing the line with a time of 23:06.7 in the 5-mile race.
"That was a special race for him today," FSU head coach Bob Braman said, "I've been coming to this meet as a coach and athlete for 30 years and I've never seen anyone break 23-minutes. That was one of the fastest times, ever, and it wasn't one of the fastest days, ever. It's very exciting for him."
Wildschutt led the Noles to a fourth place finish (204) behind No. 19 Furman (129), No. 25 Michigan (150) and No. 10 Butler (177). FSU edged out Southern Utah (207), No. 15 Alabama (225), No. 28 Weber State (227) and No. 18 Ole Miss (236).
The Seminoles also finished ahead of No. 2 Notre Dame (11th, 286), No. 30 Purdue (13th, 316) and No. 26 Indiana (14th, 325).
"The guys ran really well," Braman said. "Especially those first five. I was very excited about that. We had a lot of big wins today and were very close to third."
In similar fashion to his win at the FSU XC Open, Wildschutt made his move around the three-mile mark. He built his lead to almost 14 seconds throughout the course of the race. The Ceres, South Africa, native ended up winning by just under five seconds after Jonathan Davis of Illinois made a big push at the end.
Since joining the ACC in 1991, Wildschutt is the first Seminole in school history to secure three-straight wins in a single season for the men's team. He also has four career invitational wins in five tries in the Garnet and Gold.
Ahmed Muhumed also produced his third top-10 finish this season, placing seventh with a time of 23:36.7.
Paul Stafford and Jacob Holmes ran most of the race together, as Stafford finished in 52nd place (24:34.5) ahead of Holmes in 59th (24:38.0). Silas Griffith rounded out the scoring five in 85th place (24:52.8).
"Ahmed's race was super," Braman said. "Paul and Jacob also ran very tough. Silas was hurting, but he came storming back and we had some big wins."
In the women's 5K, the Seminoles finished seventh with a total of 253 points behind No. 2 NC State (48), No. 3 New Mexico (104), No. 6 Alabama (157), No. 8 Washington (199), No. 7 Minnesota (202) and No. 15 Ole Miss (215).
FSU finished ahead of Kentucky (278), Toledo (302), No. 29 Furman (314), Butler (327), No. 23 Illinois (331) among others.
"I was pleased with our effort," Braman said. "We're a little bit of a tired team right now. They're learning my training program and it's very tiring, but they fought hard. We'll be much better in two weeks and all they can control is giving their maximum effort and they did that today."
After having the early lead, Ryan finished the race in 20th place with a time of 16:43.3, which was the fastest 5K of her career.
"Lauren went to the lead," Braman added. "She went out for the win. She was hurting in the end, but she hung in there for the team. Getting to the front early, was a great learning experience for her."
Maudie Skyring, Amanda Beach and Agnes McTighe crossed the line close together, with Skyring moving up from 59th at the mile checkpoint to finish 41st at 16:56.3, just ahead of Beach in 42nd (16:57.0). McTighe took 46th at 16:58.6.
In her first race of the season, senior Jen Lima finished with a personal best of 17:25.8 for 95th and Rebecca Clark rounded out the scoring five by taking 99th at 17:27.2.
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 20 Lauren Ryan 20 16:43.3 41 Maudie Skyring 41 16:56.3 42 Amanda Beach 42 16:57.0 46 Agnes McTighe 46 16:58.6 95 Jenn Lima 94 17:25.8 99 Rebecca Clark 98 17:27.2 126 Alyson Churchill 123 17:38.7 129 Erin Phelps 17:40.3 o16 Caitlin Wilkey 17:42.3 o28 Riley Bahr 18:13.8
Noles Notch Two Top 3 Finishes.p> FAIRBURN, Ga. - Members of the No. 29/18 Florida State cross country teams competed in the collegiate races at the Alexander Asics Invite in Fairburn, Ga., at Bouckaert Farms on Saturday morning.
Redshirt freshman Zach Cloud was the winner of the men's 8K, crossing the line with a time of 25:09.23, just under six seconds ahead of the next competitor.
"Zach Cloud had the highlight for today," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "It was really nice to see Zach come in and run a great race and it looked like he had more in the tank too. He could potentially step up for us and today was a great breakthrough for him."
In the women's 5K, Rebecca Bergnes took bronze, finishing with a time of 17:44.30, which was just off her personal best (17:42.6). Bergnes led the Seminoles to a second place finish with a total of 84 points.
"Becky ran really well," Braman said. "She'll be another one that will be in hunt for our ACC team. She battled with runner that took second the entire way, but overall, she had a great race."
Colby Otero stuck with Cloud until the final hill, crossing the line in seventh place with a time of 25:38.09. Matt Owens officially made his debut in the Garnet and Gold and placed 12th with a time of 25:45.52 and Matt Newland was 71st at 27:14.94.
The Seminoles had three other runners finish in the top 30 of the women's 5K as Ella Swigler (18:35.83) and Dani Thompson (18:36.21) ran together, finishing in 11th and 12th respectively. Freshman Evie McIver was 29th (19:12.66) and Lauren Big placed 31st (19:18.21) to round out the scoring five.
"The ladies did a great job," Braman added. "Over half of the team had personal best times, which is what they're shooing for. They've made a lot of progress. It was a great opportunity for them to come up here and race on this beautiful course. It will set them up for the big home meet in two weeks."
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 3 Rebecca Bergnes 3 17:44.3 11 Ella Swigler 11 18:35.9 12 Dani Thompson 12 18:36.2 29 Evie McIver 28 19:12.7 31 Lauren Bing 30 19:18.3 39 Melanie Castro 37 19:24.3 43 Kaley Boethig 41 19:29.0 54 Isabella Timiraos 19:39.3 68 Rachel Johnson 19:50.3 70 Quinn Wilson 19:50.5 75 Alondra Reyna-Lopez 19:53.8 76 Summer Steere 19:53.8 92 Grace O'Malley 20:05.9 114 Kaia Stevenson 20:36.6 135 Toba Kahn 21:05.9
Noles Have Career Day at Pre-Nationals.
by Tim Hofmann
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The No. 20/15 Florida State cross country teams each posted top ten showings at the FSU Invite/Pre-Nationals meet Friday morning at Apalachee Regional Park.
In a field that featured 31 teams that were either ranked or receiving votes in the USTFCCCA poll, the Seminoles posted an eighth-place finish (281) in the men's garnet 8k race while the women finished third (163) in the women's garnet 6k race.
"I was super pleased," said Head Coach Bob Braman. "On the men's side, this was the best race we've ran in years. That race will probably put us in the top 15, so we are on pace to do what we want to do. The ladies did a great job finishing third with two top ten teams in front of them."
In what would be the fastest race in Apalachee Regional Park history with fast course conditions, the Seminoles saw seven career best times in the men's 8K race.
Similar to the 2020 NCAA XC Championships, Adriaan Wildschutt battled with some of the top runners in the country, including the champion from BYU Connor Mantz.
Wildschutt stayed in the front pack early on and was the leader following the halfway point of the race. Wildschutt and Mantz began to pull away from the rest of the pack in the back half of the race, but Mantz pulled away from the Wildschutt on the last straightaway to shatter the course record with a time of 22:47.0 and take gold.
The Ceres, South Africa, native, finished second with a personal best time of 22:49.5 which is the third-best time in Apalachee Regional Park history.
"I think this is a great test for where I want to be," Wildschutt said. "Running this fast on this course will definitely help me at nationals. This was the first time I was that close until the very end, and it will be great preparation for what's to come here."
Ahmed Muhumed also had a career day as he shattered his personal best time by 37 seconds with a time of 23:13.1 to finish 11th.
Gabriel Curtis placed 55th (23:53.6) while junior Silas Griffith (24:11.3) finished 89th. Jacob Holmes (24:23.3) Sam Field (24:33.6), Zach Cloud (24:36.0) and Zach Leachman (24:55.0) rounded out the field for the Noles.
No. 15 FSU finished third in the women's team standings with 163 points behind No. 5 Colorado (54) and No. 10 Utah (149) and ahead of No. 14 Ole Miss (165), No. 12 North Carolina (184), No. 11 Arkansas (243) and No. 16 Northern Arizona (279) among others.
In the women's 6k, the Seminoles established a pack of runners in the top 25 early with Lauren Ryan, Amanda Beach, Maudie Skyring and Agnes McTighe.
The group held steady through the 3k where Ryan started to pull away with the front pack.
Ryan finished the race third with a personal best time of 19:51.1, which was the ninth fastest time in APR history. Ryan was just behind Colorado's Abby Nichols (19:46.4) and Arkansas' Lauren Gregory (19:47.7).
"We beat some really tough teams out there," Ryan said. "Everyone put together a great race. I was excited that I ran my personal best which I haven't done since 2017. I'm really excited to see what our team can do at nationals."
Rebecca Clark joined McTighe and Skyring in the middle of the pack as the three ran closely together for the back half of the race.
McTighe finished 33rd with a time of 20:28.4 while Skyring (20:32.5) and Clark (20:33.4) followed in 37th and 38th.
Beach (20:43.6), Erin Phelps (20:51.4), Jennifer Lima (20:57.4) and Alyson Churchill (21:09.3) rounded out the Seminole scoring.
In the women's open 6k race, the Noles once again finished third behind Tennessee and Texas. Caitlin Wilkey (21:30.6) led the squad with a a 17th-place finish. Freshmen Rebecca Bergnes (21:44.0) and Riley Bahr (3:41.7) each finished in the top 50 for the Seminoles.
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 3 Lauren Ryan 3 19:51.1 33 Agnes McTighe 33 20:28.4 37 Maudie Skyring 37 20:32.5 38 Rebecca Clark 38 20:33.4 52 Amanda Beach 52 20:43.6 67 Erin Phelps 67 20:51.4 79 Jenn Lima 78 20:57.4 97 Alyson Churchill 21:09.3
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 17 Caitlin Wilkey 17 21:30.6 26 Rebecca Bergnes 20 21:44.0 40 Riley Bahr 29 21:57.0 54 Ella Swigler 41 22:14.9 66 Dani Thompson 50 22:30.3 106 Evie McIver 80 22:56.1 148 Melanie Castro 110 23:33.7 159 Lauren Bing 23:41.6 168 Summer Steere 23:48.2 178 Kaley Boethig 24:02.3 186 Rachel Johnson 24:13.9 202 Alondra Reyna-Lopez 24:32.3 207 Kaia Stevenson 24:35.2 215 Isabella Timiraos 24:51.3 221 Quinn Wilson 24:58.2 225 Grace O'Malley 25:05.4 231 Nicole McConnell 25:21.5 246 Lindsay Boethig 26:11.0 249 Maria O'Malley 26:25.7 250 Toba Kahn 26:39.0 256 Madie Slater 27:11.0 258 Emma Jane Warren 27:48.4
Wildschutt Wins FSU's Third ACC Individual Title.
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The No.19/10 Florida State cross country teams captured four All-ACC honors at the 2021 ACC Cross Country Championships at the Burke Golf Course on Friday.
Adriaan Wildschutt dominated the men's 8k, bringing home the ACC men's individual title for the third time in school history with a time of 23:07.0. Andrew Lemoncello is FSU's only other champion, winning back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005.
"I wanted to come out here and perform well for my team," Wildschutt said. "I knew there are a bunch of good runners from Notre Dame in the race, who I respect, and I knew I had a shot at this title. From the first 1k I realized it was a good pace and if I could keep it up for another 3k I should be good, and I would take off."
His teammate Ahmed Muhumed won bronze, crossing the line at 23:24.0.
The duo matched the performance by Lemoncello and Tom Lancashire from 2005, which was the only other gold and bronze podium finish in program history.
"The highlight of the day was the one-three finish for the men," FSU head coach Bob Braman said. "The first ACC Champion since 2005, that's a pretty big deal. Adriaan ran like Adriaan. Ahmed ran phenomenal. He's just raised his game to another level."
Seniors Lauren Ryan and Maudie Skyring earned All-ACC honors for the second time in their career, placing 11th and 13th respectively in the 6k. Ryan clocked a time of 20:40.8 and Skyring crossed the line at 20:44.8.
FSU has captured at least two All-ACC women's honors at every ACC meet since 2018.
The 10th-ranked FSU women's team started the day with a third-place finish with a total of 102 points behind No. 2 NC State (20) and No. 13 North Carolina (87). The No. 19 men's team scored 134 points for fifth place behind No.8 Notre Dame (32), RV Syracuse (84), RV Wake Forest (104) and RV North Carolina (110).
"This is an elite meet," Braman said. "This is one of the best conferences in America and if you're not ready to go, you're not 100 percent, then teams will beat you. Collectively, if we put it all together we could have finished higher, but we decided that we want to train for nationals, which is the ultimate goal.
"The main thing that isn't really measured a whole lot is the how we handled the conditions and the stress of this meet," Braman added. "We competed very well and hard, which is something I am very happy with."
In cool and wet conditions, the women took the starting line first for the 6k. The tight course proved to be a disadvantage for the Seminoles in both races.
"From an execution standpoint, we didn't get out," Braman added. "We were down by 50 points early and we closed it to 15 points and in every women's race, we've been leading out of the gate. It makes it more difficult because we were playing catch up the entire time."
Ryan established her position with the leaders by the 3.2K checkpoint. At that point, Skyring started making her move from 32nd, climbing to 13th in the final parts of the race.
FSU's remaining scoring runners finished closely together, led by Rebecca Clark in 22nd place at 20:51.9 freshman Agnes McTighe in 28th at 20:58.6. Erin Phelps took 32nd (21:05.8) and Amanda Beach (21:14.1) placed 38th.
"The biggest race for us on the women's side was Erin Phelps," Braman added. "Former walk-on and she really stepped up and had a great race. Clark was solid and for Agnes to get 28th as a freshman was really great."
As the favorite, Wildschutt went to the front of the pack early and held the slight edge over the pack. He made his move around the halfway mark of the race and kept stretching his lead.
Muhumed also went out with the lead pack and was near Wildschutt for the front part of the race. He held a solid third from the 3.2K split and never looked back, crossing the line at 23:24.0 for the bronze.
Silas Griffith ran his best ACC race, finishing in 28th place with a time of 24:22.0, ahead of Gabriel Curtis (24:44.1) in 53rd and Matthew Owens (24:44.4) rounded out the top five in 54th after crossing the first checkpoint in 96th place.
"Silas ran his best ACC race ever and Matt Owens really stepped up and scored for us," Braman said. "We're still working through some things, but we'll figure it out and put it together."
WOMEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 11 Lauren Ryan 11 20:40.8 13 Maudie Skyring 13 20:44.8 22 Rebecca Clark 22 20:51.9 28 Agnes McTighe 26 20:58.6 32 Erin Phelps 30 21:05.8 38 Amanda Beach 35 21:14.1 42 Jenn Lima 39 21:16.4 52 Caitlin Wilkey 21:28.0 83 Rebecca Bergnes 22:12.8 87 Alyson Churchill 22:17.9
No. 9 Noles Punch Ticket to NCAA XC Championships.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The No. 9 Florida State women's cross country team is headed to the NCAA XC Championships next week after finishing second in the 6k at the 2021 NCAA South Region Championships that were held at the John Hunt Running Park.
The No. 23 men's team was paced Adriaan Wildschutt and Ahmed Muhumed in the men's 10k as the Seminoles placed third with a score of 112 points behind No. 19 Ole Miss (68) and RV Alabama (79).
Wildschutt won his fifth race of the season and Muhumed followed for silver, marking the third time in school history FSU went one-two at the regional meet. David Forrester and Mike Fout accomplished the feat in 2011 and Jakub Zivec and Brendan O'Neill followed in 2012.
The women's team earned an automatic bid to nationals after finishing runner-up to No. 15 Ole Miss (69) and ahead of No. 11 Alabama (99).
FSU will race in its fourth-straight NCAA meet on Nov.20 at 10:20 a.m. at the Apalachee Regional Park.
All five scoring runners finished within the top 25, earning all-region honors. It is the 11th time since 2000 FSU had five or more all-region athletes.
The Seminoles also had the lowest spread among any of the top teams in the field, as all five crossed the line within 28 seconds of each other.
"Mission accomplished," Bob Braman said. "This is the national qualifying meet and getting both teams to nationals was our goal. Both teams ran really tough. I'm really pleased we had five ladies make the all-region team. That's big time. They did a great job. They were 28 seconds apart and they ran under control."
In the women's 6k, Lauren Ryan led the way with a ninth-place finish, crossing the line at 20:05.00.
Ryan went out with the leaders, while Maudie Skyring, Amanda Beach, Rebecca Clark and Jennifer Lima ran the majority of the race together in a pack.
Skyring crossed the first checkpoint in 24th and climbed up to finish 14th with a time of 20:16.43.
Beach followed in 18th (20:23.45), Clark was 21st (20:26.22) and Lima took 24th (20:33.20).
Skyring won her third all-region nod, while Clark and Ryan pick up their second. Beach and Lima earned their first.
Wildschutt led the men's 10k from start to finish, crossing the line with at time of 29:07.11, which was a personal best.
Muhumed paced himself alongside Wildschutt for part of the race, as the tandem crossed the 3.4K checkpoint together. He held his second-place position through the 6.6K mark, but two runners from Alabama joined him and he slipped to third with less than 2k to go.
Muhumed surged to the finish, crossing the line at 29:20.50, about one second ahead of Crimson Tide's first runner, breaking the 30-minute barrier for the first time in his career.
"That was a really great race for Ahmed," Braman said. "He beat the SEC champion. That was big. Adriaan was Adriaan."
Matthew Owens finished third with a time of 30:39.43, moving up six places in the final 2k of the race. Jacob Holmes took 33rd (30:51.42) and Gabriel Curtis (21:14.07) rounded out the scoring five in 48th place.
Although the men haven't officially qualified for the NCAA Championships, the Noles are expected to receive an at-large bid based on the body of work done throughout the season.
"We did everything right during the season for this," Braman added. "Alabama ran really well today and did what they needed to do. In the regular season, we haven't lost within the region, and we beat a few teams that are in next week."
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 9 Lauren Ryan 9 20:05.00 14 Maudie Skyring 14 20:16.43 18 Amanda Beach 18 20:23.45 21 Rebecca Clark 21 20:26.22 24 Jenn Lima 24 20:33.20 32 Erin Phelps 32 20:50.31 50 Agnes McTighe 49 21:08.33
Three Noles Earn All-America Honors at NCAA XC Championships.
by Tim Hofmann
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State men's and women's cross country teams each posted top 20 finishes on a perfect Saturday morning at the NCAA Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.
The women finished 19th while the men posted their best finish since 2012 with a 20th-place finish. Adriaan Wildschutt (6th), Ahmed Muhumed (20th) and Lauren Ryan (26th) each earned All-America honors. Saturday was the first time since 2012 that the men have snagged multiple All-America honors.
"It was a really good day. We had a couple of All-Americans with Adriaan and Ahmed on the men's side, and Lauren was an All-American with a lifetime best," Head Coach Bob Braman said. "It was a perfect day out on the course, and it was great to run in front of our fans and alumni."
The women got off to a great start in the 6k and were sitting third at the the 2000m mark. Ryan continued her strong season and finished with a career best time of 19:50.1 to finish 26th.
Maudie Skyring and Rebecca Clark ran together and finished with near identical times of 20:35.1 and 20:35.6, respectively. Amanda Beach (20:48.6) and Erin Phelps (20:57.4) rounded out the scoring for the Seminoles.
In the men's race, Wildschutt continued his strong season and was the first FSU male athlete to have back-to-back top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Wildschutt ran a personal best time of 28:52.0 to finish 6th.
Muhumed ran his best race of his career clocking in at 29:19.9 for a 20th-place finish. This was Muhumed's highest finish at the NCAA Championships.
Silas Griffith also clocked a personal best time of 31:02.1. Caleb Pottorff (31:05.7), Gabe Curtis (31:24.4), Matthew Owens (31.47.1) and Jacob Holmes (32:30.2) rounded out the scoring on the men's side.
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 26 Lauren Ryan 22 19:50.1 115 Maudie Skyring 92 20:35.1 116 Rebecca Clark 93 20:35.6 151 Amanda Beach 120 20:48.6 175 Erin Phelps 141 20:57.4 203 Jenn Lima 169 21:14.5