2023 Women's Cross Country - Year In Review
Cody Halsey, Head Coach
Ian Kellogg, Assistant Coach
Baylee Mires, Assistant Coach
Dillon Yearby, Director of Operations
Click here to see individual photos
2023 Women's Cross Country - Year In Review |
| Coaching Staff Cody Halsey, Head Coach Ian Kellogg, Assistant Coach Baylee Mires, Assistant Coach Dillon Yearby, Director of Operations Click here to see individual photos |
Lauren Mahan, Clearwater
Ella Mickler, Jacksonville
Lily Moore, Tallahassee
Olivia Niewald, Port Orange
Sydney Nowicki, Lockport, N.Y.
Ava Povich, Fort Myers
Kate Ruona, Bradenton
Hannah Schemmel, Atlanta, Ga.
Kylie Thomas, Fort Myers
Rachel Wheatley, Port Orange
2023 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R Name Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Suus Altorf Fr-R Hillegom, Netherlands (Atheneum College Hageveld)
Paola Bencosme Jr Miami (Braddock)
* Rebecca Bergnes Jr-R *** Miami (Braddock)
* Lauren Bing Jr Ponte Vedra Beach (Ponte Vedra)
Vivian Byrnes So Orlando (Timber Creek)
* Alyson Churchill Jr-R *** Tallahassee (Chiles)
Jane Eiselstein Fr-R Chattanooga, Tenn.
Clara Heppner Fr Marietta, Ga. (Johnson Ferry Christian Acdmy)
Katie Hibbard Jr Satellite Beach (Satellite)
Rachel Johnson Sr-R Tampa (Alonso)
Toba Kahn So-R Boca Raton (Spanish River)
Lauren Mahan Fr Clearwater (Calvary Christian)
* Evie McIver Jr Newcastle upon Tyne, England (Winter Springs)
Agnes McTighe Jr ** Valais, Switzerland (ECCG-EPP of Sion)
Lillie Mealor So Macon, Ga. (First Presbyterian Day School)
* Ella Mickler Fr Jacksonville (Bolles)
Lily Moore Fr Tallahassee (Leon)
Gabriella Morris So-R Orland Park, Ill. (Carl Sanburg)
Olivia Niewald Fr Port Orange (Spruce Creek)
* Sydney Nowicki Jr Lockport, N.Y. (Lockport/Syracuse)
Annika Pfaff Fr-R West Grove, Pa. (Avon Grove)
Ava Povich Fr Fort Myers (Evangelical Christian)
Kate Ruona Fr Bradenton (Cardinal Mooney)
Hannah Schemmel Fr Atlanta, Ga. (Saint Pius X Catholic)
* Bieke Schipperen Fr-R Dussen, Netherlands (Dongemond College)
* Anna Sentner Sr Lakeland (Jenkins/Tampa)
Kylie Thomas Fr Fort Myers (Bishop Verot)
Dani Thompson Jr * Sun Prairie, Wis. (Sun Prairie)
Rachel Wheatley Fr-R Port Orange (Spruce Creek/Central Florida)
* Caitlin Wilkey Jr-R *** Tallahassee (Chiles)
2023 Conference Awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyson Churchill Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
All-Conference - 1
2023 All-Americans
Name Organization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyson Churchill NCAA - - 22nd place
All-Americans - 1
2023 Schedule and Results
GAME |
SCORE |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firetower Challenge Boone, N.C. |
|||||
| TCC Open | |||||
| Covered Bridge Open Boone, N.C. |
|||||
| Joe Piane Invite South Bend, Ind. |
|||||
| Florida State XC Invite | |||||
| Nuttycombe Invite Madison, Wis. |
|||||
| Alabama Invite Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
|||||
| ACC Championship | |||||
| NCAA South Region Championship Gainesville |
|||||
| NCAA Championship Earlysville, Va. |
EOY StatsRef
2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 North Carolina State 37 2 Notre Dame 80 3 Virginia 82 4 Syracuse 167 5 North Carolina 172 6 Boston College 183 7 Duke 186 8 Wake Forest 200 9 Georgia Tech 264 10 Virginia Tech 267 11 Florida State 275 12 Pittsburgh 330 13 Louisville 333 14 Clemson 339 15 Miami 412
2023 EOY Stats
Team Overall Name Races Top 7 Top 10 Wins =============================================== Alyson Churchill 7 6 5 2 Bieke Schipperen 6 6 2 0 Anna Sentner 6 6 1 0 Sydney Nowicki 6 6 1 0 Ella Mickler 6 4 0 0 Evie McIver 5 4 1 0 Lauren Bing 5 2 0 0 Caitlin Wilkey 4 4 1 0 Kylie Thomas 4 3 1 0 Ava Povich 4 2 0 0 Clara Heppner 4 1 0 0 Lillie Mealor 3 2 1 0 Lily Moore 3 2 0 0 Rachel Wheatley 3 2 0 0 Dani Thompson 3 2 0 0 Annika Pfaff 2 2 0 0 Rebecca Bergnes 2 2 0 0 Rachel Johnson 2 1 1 0 Toba Kahn 2 1 1 0 Vivian Byrnes 2 1 0 0 Sofia Martinez 2 0 0 0 Lauren Mahan 1 1 1 1 Katie Hibbard 1 1 0 0 Olivia Niewald 1 0 0 0
| 09/01/2023 Firetower Challenge 5K |
09/08/2023 TCC Open 5K |
09/15/2023 Covered Bridge Open 5K |
09/29/2023 Joe Piane Invite 5K |
09/29/2023 Florida State XC Invite 5K |
10/13/2023 Nuttycombe Invite 6K |
10/13/2023 Alabama Invite 5K |
10/27/2023 ACC Championship 6K |
11/10/2023 NCAA South Region Championship 6K |
11/18/2023 NCAA Championship 6K |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suus Altorf | ||||||||||
| Paola Bencosme | ||||||||||
| Rebecca Bergnes | ||||||||||
| Lauren Bing | ||||||||||
| Vivian Byrnes | ||||||||||
| Alyson Churchill | ||||||||||
| Jane Eiselstein | ||||||||||
| Clara Heppner | ||||||||||
| Katie Hibbard | ||||||||||
| Rachel Johnson | ||||||||||
| Toba Kahn | ||||||||||
| Lauren Mahan | ||||||||||
| Evie McIver | ||||||||||
| Agnes McTighe | ||||||||||
| Lillie Mealor | ||||||||||
| Ella Mickler | ||||||||||
| Lily Moore | ||||||||||
| Gabriella Morris | ||||||||||
| Olivia Niewald | ||||||||||
| Sydney Nowicki | ||||||||||
| Annika Pfaff | ||||||||||
| Ava Povich | ||||||||||
| Kate Ruona | ||||||||||
| Hannah Schemmel | ||||||||||
| Bieke Schipperen | ||||||||||
| Anna Sentner | ||||||||||
| Kylie Thomas | ||||||||||
| Dani Thompson | ||||||||||
| Rachel Wheatley | ||||||||||
| Caitlin Wilkey | ||||||||||
The No. 29 FSU men's cross country team won behind a 15-point sweep.
BOONE, N.C. - The No. 29/23 Florida State cross country teams collected four wins at the 2023 Firetower Project Run, which was held at the Don Kennedy Trails at State Farm.
The No. 29 men's team scored 15 points behind a one through five sweep in the 8k, while the No. 23 women won with 33 points in the 5k.
"This was a great kickstart to the 2023 season," FSU women's head coach Cody Halsey said. "We certainly weren't fresh heading into today. The goal was to work together, finish hard and be proud of our efforts. They did that. I was also really pleased to see some new faces step up to finish in our top five. I'm really excited about the upcoming weeks."
Alyson Churchill ran the fastest 5k of her career, crossing the finish line with a time of 16:23.48 in first place, over one minute ahead of the second-place runner (17:44.42).
Anna Sentner was the second Seminoles across the line, placing fifth behind her best time of 18:05.59. Bieke Schipperen followed in eighth place (18:13.98) in her first 5k race in the Garnet and Gold. Evie McIver placed ninth (18:21.39), which was her best, and Sydney Nowicki rounded out the scoring in 10th at 18:22.56 in her first meet for FSU.
The Seminoles packed up in the men's race, led by Abdirizak Ibrahim in first with a time of 23:53.56 in first.
David Mullarkey made his XC debut for the Noles, taking silver (24:02.17), followed by Zach Leachman in third (24:04.85), who contributed his best time. Matthew Neill (24:20.31) followed in fourth place in his debut and Cooper Schroeder was the final FSU scorer in fifth (24:22.31).
"I was really pleased with our men," FSU men's head coach Bob Braman said. "Obviously a perfect score is fantastic, but we ran way faster than I anticipated. We're in a strong training block that's not designed to yield results until Notre Dame in four weeks, so this was a surprise."
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Alyson Churchill 1 16:23.48 5 Anna Sentner 5 18:05.59 8 Bieke Schipperen 8 18:13.98 9 Evie McIver 9 18:21.39 10 Sydney Nowicki 10 18:22.56 13 Ava Povich 13 18:34.10 14 Lily Moore 14 18:35.22 18 Clara Heppner 18:43.38 20 Olivia Niewald 18:50.89 25 Lauren Bing 18:56.85 27 Rachel Wheatley 19:03.08 33 Ella Mickler 19:18.25
Freshmen Lead Noles at TCC Open.
TALAHASSEE, Fla. - Members of the No. 23 Florida State women's cross country team raced at the Tallahassee Community College Open early on Friday morning at the Apalachee Regional Park.
Freshmen Lauren Mahan and Kylie Thomas finished in first and second place respectively. The two runners paced each other throughout most of the 5K race, until Mahan pulled away in the final 1,000m winning the race by 17 seconds. Thomas crossed the line 22 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.
Both Mahan and Thomas are familiar with the ARP, having raced on the course throughout their high school careers at Pre-State and FHSAA State Championships.
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Lauren Mahan 1 20:08.00 2 Kylie Thomas 2 20:25.00 5 Lillie Mealor 5 21:14.00 8 Rachel Johnson 8 22:00.00 9 Toba Kahn 9 22:16.00 16 Vivian Byrnes 13 24:33.00
Churchill, Neill Win at Covered Bridge Open.
BOONE, N.C. - The No. 29 Florida State men's cross country team brought home its second win of the 2023 season, by taking the team title at the Covered Bridge Open with a score of 22 points.
Newcomer Matthew Neill won the men's 8k with a time of 24:15.63, winning the race by five seconds.
The four remaining scoring runners packed up behind Neill and finished within 10 seconds of each other, led by Zach Cloud in fourth place (24:23.43). Cooper Schroeder added a sixth place finish (24:29.21), followed by Zach Leachman in seventh (24:32.68) and Coleman Cronk in eighth (24:33.69), who turned in his best time.
"The guys did a great job of executing the race plan," FSU men's head coach Bob Braman said. "We packed up well and finished strong. I was really pleased for Matt. He's been one of our hardest workers and it was great for him to have a chance to shine."
The 23rd-ranked women were led by Alyson Churchill, who posted another personal best in the 5k to win with a time of 16:08.30. In her second victory this season, Churchill finished 40 seconds ahead of the next runner.
"Aly had another really wonderful showing," FSU head women's coach Cody Halsey said. "She is starting to touch on areas in practice and race day that are giving her a glimpse of what's to come and that's really exciting."
The Seminoles finished second behind Wake Forest (23) with a score of 36 points.
Bieke Schipperen turned in her best time and followed Churchill to place seventh (17:28.11) and Caitlin Wilkey followed in eighth (17:32.40). Newcomer Sydney Nowicki finished in 11th (17:38.66) and Anna Sentner rounded out the scorers in 13th (17:40.59), both turning in career bests.
"We were really pleased with the women's performance today," Halsey added. "It's clear we have built some fitness. Although we aren't satisfied, we definitely are getting better as a collective group."
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Alyson Churchill 1 16:08.30 7 Bieke Schipperen 6 17:28.11 8 Caitlin Wilkey 7 17:32.40 11 Sydney Nowicki 10 17:38.66 13 Anna Sentner 12 17:40.59 18 Evie McIver 17 18:02.85 20 Clara Heppner 19 18:04.64 21 Ella Mickler 18:09.37 23 Lily Moore 18:13.95 24 Dani Thompson 18:15.38 31 Ava Povich 18:29.69 38 Lauren Bing 18:44.74 64 Kylie Thomas 19:53.41
Noles Place Second at Joe Piane, Churchill Wins Bronze.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The RV/No. 28 Florida State cross country teams competed in two meets on Friday.
The Seminoles were represented at the Joe Piane Invitational at the Burke Golf Course at Notre Dame and Florida State also hosted the annual FSU XC Invitational, which featured over 800 athletes at the Apalachee Regional Park.
The men's team, who received votes in the USTFCCCA poll that was released on Tuesday, knocked off three ranked squads in the 5-mile race in South Bend, Indiana. FSU went toe-to-toe with the ninth-ranked host team, Notre Dame, finishing with a total of 95 points for second place, just eight points behind the Irish (87).
FSU finished ahead of No. 21 NC State (174), No. 27 Alabama (114) and No. 28 (Montana State).
It was the best finish for the men's team at the historic meet since 2011, when FSU also placed second.
The Seminoles were led by Daivd Mullarkey, who placed fifth with a time of 23:24.8, just ahead of Abdirizak Ibrahim, in ninth at 23:40.5.
Cooper Schroeder finished 21st (23:57.9), followed by Joe Farley in 29th (24:05.6) and Ahmed Ibrahim was the final FSU scorer in 31st (24:06.1).
"Our men did a fantastic job today," FSU men's head coach Bob Braman said. "We battled wire-to-wire with a top 10 team on their home course. Our captains, David and Cooper, ran their best collegiate races, ever. Abdirizak and Abrahim both ran tough for the team. Joe Farley did a great job as well, his race put us in position to challenge for the upset."
The women's team was led by Alyson Churchill, who took bronze in the 5k behind a time of 16:15.8, just shy of silver (16:15.1). It was her highest finish at the meet after placing 22nd in 2022. Churchill ran steady in third place for the entire race, finishing nine seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher.
"This was a huge race for Aly," FSU head women's coach Cody Halsey said. "She's been overlooked all year as one of the best athletes in the NCAA. Today she was finally able to show people what she can do. We are so proud of how well she executed her race place. We can't wait for her to keep showing up and forcing people to know who she is and what she can do at this level."
Bieke Schipperen followed in 33rd (17:21.1) and Anna Sentner (17:29.6) and Caitlin Wilkey (17:30.8) paced each other, finishing 45th and 46th respectively. Sydney Nowicki rounded out the scoring for FSU, placing 55th at 17:37.9.
"Outside of Caitlin and Aly this was a completely new team out there today," Halsey added. "Including three true freshmen. This was the most competitive meet in their career thus far. That's a learning experience. We were proud of the grit and tenacity, but we have some work to do. I think we learned a lot and I know we are all looking forward to putting that into play at Wisconsin."
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 3 Alyson Churchill 3 16:15.8 33 Bieke Schipperen 33 17:21.1 45 Anna Sentner 45 17:29.6 46 Caitlin Wilkey 46 17:30.8 55 Sydney Nowicki 55 17:37.9 66 Ella Mickler 65 17:52.3 72 Evie McIver 71 17:57.3 104 Clara Heppner 18:20.0 111 Ava Povich 18:30.0
Dani Thompson led the Noles at the FSU XC Invitational.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Out at the ARP in Tallahassee, the Seminoles also raced in the FSU XC Invitational.
In the women's 5k, Dani Thompson led Florida State finishing 28th (18:21.9), followed by Lily Moore in 33rd (18:30.9), Lauren Bing in 42nd (18:42.8), Rachel Wheatley 75th (19:08.6), and Annika Pfaff 82nd (19:17.7).
The top five runners scored 241 points, placing FSU seventh.
Lucas Bouquot participated in in the men's 8k, crossing the line at 25:26.1, placing 22nd.
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 28 Dani Thompson 28 18:21.9 33 Lily Moore 32 18:30.9 42 Lauren Bing 39 18:42.8 75 Rachel Wheatley 68 19:08.6 82 Annika Pfaff 74 19:17.7 106 Katie Hibbard 91 19:39.9 111 Kylie Thomas 94 19:45.1 113 Sofia Martinez 19:46.6 116 Lillie Mealor 19:49.4 197 Vivian Byrnes 20:54.5 199 Rachel Johnson 20:55.5 208 Toba Kahn 21:03.1
Noles Hang Tough at Nuttycombe Invite.
MADISON Wis. and TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Florida State cross country teams competed at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin.
As one the prestigious regular season meets, the Seminoles battled against 44 of the 60 teams ranked in the USTFCCCA in addition to heavy rain and cold conditions.
For the second straight meet, David Mullarkey turned in the top time for the 19th-ranked Seminoles, crossing the finish in 14th place at 23:43.5, which was his best 8k.
Matthew Neill followed (24:27.5) and placed 118th, and Ahmed Ibrahim (24:32.0) was 128th. Zach Leachman (24:47.7) was 164th and Cooper Schroeder clocked 25:06.1 (209th) rounded out the scoring five runners.
"It was a tough day for our guys," FSU head men's coach Bob Braman said. "David was brilliant again, and Matt ran tough as well. But as a whole, we didn't handle the conditions well. Abdirizak Ibrahim was a little banged up and we couldn't risk racing him on a muddy course. It's tough to lose a two-time cross country All-American and still finished where we did in a meet of this caliber."
In a field that featured 31 teams that were ranked or received votes, the Seminoles placed 28th (621), securing a win over No. 27 NC State (677).
Racing in a field that contained 250 student-athletes, Alyson Churchill led the Noles in the women's 6k, crossing the line in 31st place with a time of 20:34.8.
Caitlyn Wilkey followed at 21:34.1 (151st) and Sydney Nowicki was the third Nole to cross the line at 21:48.4 (175th). Bieke Schipperen followed at 21:54.8 (181st) and Anna Sentner was the fifth FSU scorer at 22:00.4 (193rd).
"It was a tough day," FSU head women's coach Cody Halsey said. "We did not establish position at the start and that's where we finished individually and as a group. I do however think the women, most of which have never seen a race of this caliber, learned a lot. We are still putting together some pieces that I have no doubt will come to fruition when we need them to."
FSU placed 30th (725) in a loaded field that featured 25 teams either ranked or receiving votes.
The Seminoles also raced in the Crimson Classic at the Harry Pritchett Running Course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The men's team was led by Martin Prodanov, who placed 18th in the 8K with a time of 24:26.9. Andrew Hammel followed in 32nd (24:42.5) and Lucas Bouquot was 55th at 25:00.5. Coleman Cronk was 99th (25:40.9) and Patrick Donnelly was the fifth scorer (25:43.0) in 101st.
FSU finished ninth with a total of 256.
In the women's 6k, Lauren Bing led the Noles at 21:41.5 (79th), followed by Dani Thompson at 21:56.1 (96th), Ana Povich at 22:01.6 (103rd), Annika Pfaff at 22:29.0 (133rd) and Rachel Wheatly at 23:07.6 (172nd).
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 31 Alyson Churchill 31 20:34.8 151 Caitlin Wilkey 150 21:34.1 175 Sydney Nowicki 172 21:48.5 187 Bieke Schipperen 183 21:54.8 193 Anna Sentner 189 22:00.4 203 Evie McIver 199 22:06.1 216 Ella Mickler 209 22:20.3 238 Clara Heppner 22:40.4
Noles Hang Tough at Nuttycombe Invite.
MADISON Wis. and TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Florida State cross country teams competed at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin.
As one the prestigious regular season meets, the Seminoles battled against 44 of the 60 teams ranked in the USTFCCCA in addition to heavy rain and cold conditions.
For the second straight meet, David Mullarkey turned in the top time for the 19th-ranked Seminoles, crossing the finish in 14th place at 23:43.5, which was his best 8k.
Matthew Neill followed (24:27.5) and placed 118th, and Ahmed Ibrahim (24:32.0) was 128th. Zach Leachman (24:47.7) was 164th and Cooper Schroeder clocked 25:06.1 (209th) rounded out the scoring five runners.
"It was a tough day for our guys," FSU head men's coach Bob Braman said. "David was brilliant again, and Matt ran tough as well. But as a whole, we didn't handle the conditions well. Abdirizak Ibrahim was a little banged up and we couldn't risk racing him on a muddy course. It's tough to lose a two-time cross country All-American and still finished where we did in a meet of this caliber."
In a field that featured 31 teams that were ranked or received votes, the Seminoles placed 28th (621), securing a win over No. 27 NC State (677).
Racing in a field that contained 250 student-athletes, Alyson Churchill led the Noles in the women's 6k, crossing the line in 31st place with a time of 20:34.8.
Caitlyn Wilkey followed at 21:34.1 (151st) and Sydney Nowicki was the third Nole to cross the line at 21:48.4 (175th). Bieke Schipperen followed at 21:54.8 (181st) and Anna Sentner was the fifth FSU scorer at 22:00.4 (193rd).
"It was a tough day," FSU head women's coach Cody Halsey said. "We did not establish position at the start and that's where we finished individually and as a group. I do however think the women, most of which have never seen a race of this caliber, learned a lot. We are still putting together some pieces that I have no doubt will come to fruition when we need them to."
FSU placed 30th (725) in a loaded field that featured 25 teams either ranked or receiving votes.
The Seminoles also raced in the Crimson Classic at the Harry Pritchett Running Course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The men's team was led by Martin Prodanov, who placed 18th in the 8K with a time of 24:26.9. Andrew Hammel followed in 32nd (24:42.5) and Lucas Bouquot was 55th at 25:00.5. Coleman Cronk was 99th (25:40.9) and Patrick Donnelly was the fifth scorer (25:43.0) in 101st.
FSU finished ninth with a total of 256.
In the women's 6k, Lauren Bing led the Noles at 21:41.5 (79th), followed by Dani Thompson at 21:56.1 (96th), Ana Povich at 22:01.6 (103rd), Annika Pfaff at 22:29.0 (133rd) and Rachel Wheatly at 23:07.6 (172nd).
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 79 Lauren Bing 77 21:41.5 96 Dani Thompson 92 21:56.1 103 Ava Povich 98 22:01.6 133 Annika Pfaff 119 22:29.0 172 Rachel Wheatley 141 23:07.6 185 Kylie Thomas 149 23:32.0 187 Lillie Mealor 151 23:33.4 198 Sofia Martinez 23:48.8
Mullarkey and Churchill Headline ACC XC Championships.
By Jack Oliaro
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State cross country teams hosted the ACC XC Championships on Friday morning at the Apalachee Regional Park.
David Mullarkey and Abdirizak Ibrahim captured All-ACC honors for the men's team in the 8k by finishing in the top 21 of the race, while Alyson Churchill earned the women's honor in the 6k.
The men's team has had at least two All-ACC finishers in three of the last five championships. With Churchill placing sixth, the women have now crowned at least one All-ACC runner every season since 2008.
Mullarkey, who took bronze with a time of 23:11.5, finishing within ten seconds of the best time of day (23:03.1). Mullarkey remained in the top three throughout the entirety of the race and was leading at 2.2 kilometers split.
Abdirizak Ibrahim finished 16th (23:40.1) and was in the top ten at the halfway point. Senior Cooper Shroeder finished in 25th (23:55.4). Ahmed Ibrahim finished 37th (24:07.4) alongside Matthew Neill who finished 38th (24:08.4) to round out the scoring five.
Zachary Cloud finished 54th (24:18.4) ran his personal best and Zach Leachman was 73rd (24:35.7).
The men's team received votes in the latest USTFCCCA poll and improved on their ninth-place finish last season, knocking off 20th-ranked Wake Forest. The hosts finished with a total of 117 points for fifth place, returning to the top five in the conference for the first time since 2021.
"I thought the guys did a really good job today," FSU men's head coach Bob Braman said. "We really competed well. We were super aggressive and we went for it and I'm really pleased with it. It was a great race for David, finishing third. It was a great bounce back for 'Riz' after being out for injury. He did it for the team. Ahmed had a great race as did Matt Neill and Cooper Schroeder. All were on their lifetime bests on a legit course and they competed well."
The women's team led by Churchill, who finished just outside the top five with a sixth-place finish (19:49.5). In her third ACCs, it was her first top ten finish at the event. She stayed with the lead pack throughout the race and also set a new personal best, trumping her previous best by ten seconds (19:59.7).
Anna Sentner finished in 66th (21:21.6) with fellow upperclassman Caitlin Wilkey finishing in 71st (21:28.0). Freshmen Rebecca Bergnes (21:33.2) and Bieke Schipperen (21:33.5) finished side-by-side, placing 78th and 79th respectively. Ella Mickler finished 96th (21:52.2) as the final points scorer for the Seminoles. The team finished with 275 points to place 11th.
"Today was one of the best performances of Aly's career," FSU women's head coach Cody Halsey said. "It was so special to be a part of it! Last year she was on the outside looking in and today she was sixth. She ran hard, with heart and grit. We knew she's one of the best runners in the NCAA and I believe this showed everyone what we see every day. We are so incredibly proud of her. As a team, we didn't run well. We had a lot of women make mistakes we can't afford. We need to regroup and get ready for regionals."
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 6 Alyson Churchill 6 19:49.5 66 Anna Sentner 61 21:21.6 71 Caitlin Wilkey 65 21:28.0 78 Rebecca Bergnes 71 21:33.2 79 Bieke Schipperen 72 21:33.5 96 Ella Mickler 88 21:52.2 100 Sydney Nowicki 92 22:00.7 106 Evie McIver 22:06.5 132 Lauren Bing 23:22.5
Noles Qualify for NCAA Championships.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- The No. 29 Florida State men's cross country team qualified for the 2023 NCAA Championships that will be held on Nov.18 in Earlysville, Virginia, after placing second at the NCAA South Region Championships in Gainesville on Friday Morning.
The Seminoles scored 71 points, finishing just behind No. 21 Tennessee (68 points) and ahead of No. 18 Alabama (86 points).
David Mullarkey, Abdirizak Ibrahim, Cooper Schroeder, Matthew Neil and Ahmed Ibrahim captured All-Region honors by finishing in the top 25 of the men's 10k. It was the first time since 2015 FSU had all five scoring runners in the top 25 and just the ninth time in history at least five student-athletes captured All-Region honors.
Mullarkey led the Noles by placing fourth with a time of 28:45.0 as he spent most of the race in the top five.
Abdirizak Ibrahim, who crossed the first checkpoint in 80th place, finished 10th at 29:14.4.
Schroeder followed in 14th (28:18.7) and Neill was 19th (29:32.8). Both Schroeder and Neill ran the entire race in the top 30 with Schroeder making his move around the 8k to push for the top 15, capturing his second All-Region honor. Neill slipped to 29th in the middle of the race and fought back to capture a top 20 finish.
Ahmed Ibrahim rounded out the scoring five, placing 24th at 29:40.1. Zach Cloud (30:11.8) was 40th and Zach Leachman (30:29.2) placed 45th.
"What an epic day for our men!" FSU head men's coach Bob Braman said. "They executed the plan to perfection and almost pulled out the win. We peaked at the right time and it allowed us to get our ticket punched to nationals."
Alyson Churchill took home her second All-Region honor after placing fourth in the women's 6k behind a controlled race, where she clocked 18:29.7. It was the best finish at the regional meet for a Seminole since Maudie Skyring also placed fourth in 2019.
"Aly ran poised, controlled and confident right from the gun," FSU head women's coach Cody Halsey said. "It was so cool to see her run her race, place higher than she ever has and to do it on the day she needed to. We are beyond proud of her. I believe the three women who finished in front of her will be top 10 at the National Championship next week. Every race she continues to solidify who she is as an athlete, and we cannot wait for her to showcase that against the best in the NCAA."
Rebecca Bergnes finished 39th (19:56.6), followed by Bieke Schipperen in 50th (20:11.2) Anna Sentner (20:37.3) in 78th and Sydney Nowicki was the final FSU scorer in 81st (20:40.2.) As a team, the Seminoles placed eighth (252).
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 4 Alyson Churchill 4 18:39.7 39 Rebecca Bergnes 39 19:56.6 50 Bieke Schipperen 50 20:11.2 78 Anna Sentner 78 20:37.3 81 Sydney Nowicki 81 20:42.2 109 Ella Mickler 105 20:59.3
Churchill, Mullarkey Capture All-America Honors.
EARLYSVILLE, Va. - Alyson Churchill and David Mullarkey captured All-America honors at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning at the Panorama Farms by finishing in the top 40 for their races.
Churchill placed 22nd in the women's 6k with a time of 19:53.9, while Mullarkey placed 40th in the men's 10k at 29:50.8.
Churchill's finish was the highest for a Seminole since 2013 when Colleen Quigley crossed the line in sixth place. The Tallahassee native's performance is among the top 16 in program history at the NCAA Championships.
Churchill ran every step of the race among the top 25 runners.
"That was a fantastic day for Aly," FSU head women's coach Cody Halsey said. "She was 79th at this meet last year and finished 57 spots higher today. We were really proud she went for it from the gun. We knew Aly was one of the best athletes in the NCAA and today she was able to showcase that on the largest stage. You can't ask much more from your athlete, show up on the day and leave it all out there. This was the highest individual finish for Florida State in the last 10 years and that feels really good. We are excited about the future!"
In just his first NCAA Championships, Mullarkey becomes the 11th Seminole in program history to earn All-American honors in cross country.
The men's team finished in 27th place with a total of 620 points.
"It was a tough day for us," FSU head men's coach Bob Braman said. "We had two that were sick and it unplugged any chance of a top 20 finish. I am really proud of David. All-American in his first NCAA XC Championships. Overall, it was a great season for the men. We put ourselves back into the national picture in cross country."
Cooper Schroeder followed Mullarkey in the 10K, crossing the line with a time of 30:51.8 in 163rd, followed by Matthew Neill in 132nd (31:12.4) and Abdirizak Ibrahim (31:49.6) in 203rd. Zach Cloud was the fifth and final scoring runner for FSU, placing 212st at 32:01.5. Ahmed Ibrahim clocked 32.14.2 for 216th.
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 22 Alyson Churchill 19:53.9