2008 Men's Cross Country - Year In Review
Bob Braman, Head Coach
Kevin Cook, Volunteer Assistant
Karen Harvey, Assistant Coach
Harry Norton, Graduate Assistant
Kevin Sullivan, Volunteer Assistant
Click here to see individual mug shots
2008 Men's Cross Country - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Bob Braman, Head Coach Kevin Cook, Volunteer Assistant Karen Harvey, Assistant Coach Harry Norton, Graduate Assistant Kevin Sullivan, Volunteer Assistant Click here to see individual mug shots |
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Jacob Brooks, Fort Myers
Nathan Duby, Winter Springs
Mike Fout, LaPorte, Ind.
Nicholas Maedel, Orange Park
2008 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R Name Hgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
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* Trey Andrews Sr-R * Titusville (Astronaut)
Tyler Braman Fr Tallahassee (Chiles)
Jacob Brooks Fr Fort Myers (Fort Myers)
Javier Cruz 5-9 Sr-R ** Miami (Belen Jesuit Prep)
Nathan Duby Fr Winter Springs (Winter Springs)
* Mike Fout Fr LaPorte, Ind. (LaPorte)
* Steeve Gabart Sr * Miami (North Miami/Rend Lake College)
* Luke Gunn Sr ** Forest Gate, England (Birmingham)
* Justin Harbor So-R * Bunnell (Flager-Palm Coast/Oregon)
David Huckaby 5-9 Fr-R Fort Mill, S.C. (Fort Mill)
* Jason Lakritz Jr-R New Windsor, N.Y. (Newburgh Free Academy)
* Matt Leeder So * Brockville, Ontario, Canada (Thousand Island Secondary)
Nicholas Maedel So Orange Park (Ridgeview/West Florida)
Christian Minor Sr Rockledge (Rockledge)
* Tyler Price Fr-R Tallahassee (Wakulla)
Seth Proctor Fr-R Orlando (Edgewater)
* Daniel Roberts Jr * Vicksburg, Mich. (Crested Butte Academy/Cedarville)
Daniel Silva Fr-R Miami (Belen Jesuit Prep)
* Nick Sunseri Jr-R * Raleigh, N.C. (Cardinal Gibbons/UNC-Charlotte)
Stephen Wilson 6-2 Jr-R Brandon (Riverview)
2008 Conference Awards
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Steeve Gabart Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
Matt Leeder Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
All-Conference - 2
2008 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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| FSU Invitational | |||||
| Notre Dame Invitational South Bend, Ind. |
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| Auburn Invitational Auburn, Ala. |
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| Pre-NCAA Meet Terre Haute, Ind. |
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| ACC Championship Chapel Hill, N.C. |
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| NCAA South Region Knoxville, Tenn. |
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| NCAA Championship Terre Haute, Ind. |
EOY StatsRef Overall Home Away Neutral ------------------------------------------------ FSU record is 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0
2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Results 1 Virginia 40 2 North Carolina State 56 3 Virginia Tech 75 4 Florida State 80 5 Duke 127 6t Maryland 199 6t Boston College 199 8 North Carolina 209 9 Clemson 212 10 Georgia Tech 239 11 Wake Forest 342 12 Miami 372
2008 EOY Stats
Team Overall Name Races Top 7 Top 10 Wins =============================================== Justin Harbor 7 6 2 0 Steeve Gabart 7 6 1 0 Trey Andrews 7 5 2 0 Matt Leeder 6 6 2 0 Daniel Roberts 6 6 2 0 Nick Sunseri 6 6 1 0 Jason Lakritz 6 5 2 0 Tyler Price 4 1 0 0 Luke Gunn 3 3 2 1 Mike Fout 3 3 0 0 Stephen Wilson 2 1 0 0 David Huckaby 2 0 0 0 Daniel Silva 2 0 0 0 Seth Proctor 1 1 0 0 Nathan Duby 1 0 0 0
Florida State Cross Country Teams Place First At Their First Meet Of The Season.
The Seminoles' men's and women's cross country teams both took the top spot at the Covered Bridge Open.
BOONE, NC - The Florida State cross country teams celebrated yet another great season opener as both teams placed first at the Covered Bridge Open hosted by Appalachian State. This is the eighth-consecutive top-five finish for the Seminoles not to mention an accomplishment in itself having both the men's and women's team both taking the top spot.
Led by sophomore Justin Harbor (Bunnell, Fla.) who had a finish time of 26:00 in the 8K, the men's squad brought in four runners in the top ten that included juniors Jason Lakritz (New Windsor, N.Y.) and Trey Andrews (Titusville, Fla.) and senior Steeve Gabart (Miami, Fla.). Not to mention, redshirt freshman Seth Proctor (Orlando, Fla.) coming in at 13th in his first meet as a Seminole.
"The true battle for us was Queens Charlotte. Although they placed two runners ahead of us, I'm proud of our guys fight," said men's head coach Bob Braman. "I'm also happy we beat our ACC rival Clemson. The great thing is we put most of our important guys in front of them. I'm extremely proud of Justin Harbor. He was our top competitor for the day. When our guys put on a Florida State jersey, they carry a responsibility with it. They did a great job of upholding that responsibility today."
As for the women, they opened up their season with a sweep, placing five Seminoles in the top-five slots. Leading the runners was sophomore Pilar McShine (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) who crossed the finish line in 18:20 in the 5K run. Coming in just one second after McShine was senior Lydia Willemse (Forest, Ontario). The remaining Seminoles who finished in the top five were sophomores Amanda Quick (Tampa, Fla.) and Bree McArdle (Queensland Australia) and freshman Kacey Gibson (New Castle, Pa.) Rounding off the top ten in the race were freshman Jennifer Dunn (Decatur, Ala.) and junior Christina Woytalewicz (Brandon, Fla.)
"McShine, Willemse, McArdle and Quick are definitely all different athletes this year in comparison to last year," women's head coach Karen Harvey said. "They have improved and matured in a way that makes me proud."
"When you have your top three runners sit out for these smaller meets, it gives others the chance to step up and compete. We wanted to keep some of our older athletes back and give our younger ones a chance," Braman said. "The women's team is going to be at that same level they were last year."
With a first place finish under their belt, The Florida State cross country teams are sure to have an exciting season this year. The Seminoles will travel next to Daytona Beach, Fla. to compete in the Across The State Relay on September 13.
Men's Team Finishes:
1) Florida State 34 pts
2) Queens Charlotte 36
3) Appalachian State 62
4) Clemson 95
5) North Florida 155
6) Charlotte B 170
7) Mars Hill 196
8) Winthrop 246
9) Lees-McRae 252
10) Spartanburg Methodist 289
11) Usc Upstate 300
12) Valdosta State 320
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 3 Justin Harbor 3 26:00 5 Jason Lakritz 5 26:10 6 Trey Andrews 6 26:15 8 Steeve Gabart 8 26:17 13 Seth Proctor 13 26:31 16 Tyler Price 16 26:42 41 Stephen Wilson 41 27:52 63 David Huckaby xxx 25:27
Seminole Cross Country Sweeps Virginia Tech Invitational.
Senior Luke Gunn Leads Way In Men's Race, Junior Kuijken Finishes Fifth.
BLACKSBURG, VA - Both the Florida State men's and women's cross country teams remained undefeated as the Seminoles swept both races at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational earlier today (Sept. 19).
The men were dominant in victory as four Seminoles cross the finish line before anybody from another competing school was able to do so. Senior Luke Gunn was the first of the Florida State runners to finish as he won the race individually with a time of 24:06.6 in the 7.6K race. Gunn finished just ahead of sophomore Matt Leeder who finished the race with a time of 24:06.8.
Finishing third with a time of 24:07.1 was junior Daniel Roberts while the Seminoles' top four finish was rounded out by the efforts of senior Nick Sunseri, who finished with a time of 24:07.3. FSU almost swept the race as sophomore Justin Harbor finished sixth with a time of 24:17.4.
Junior Jason Lakritz was ninth with a time of 24:19.5 and fellow junior Trey Andrews was tenth with a time of 24:20.6.
The Seminoles were dominant winning going away with just 16 points, one shy of a complete sweep. The host Hokies compiled a score of 46 to finish second while Wake Forest was third with 94 points. King College was fourth with 113, College of Charleston finished fifth with 137 and Concord was sixth with 152 points.
The Florida State women, ranked second in the USTFCCCA preseason poll released earlier this week, flexed their muscle in the event's early race as they took down the host Hokies. The Seminoles scored 33 points while Virginia Tech was a close second at 37. Wake Forest finished third with 63 points, College Of Charleston was fourth with 123, King College was fifth with 149 and Concord rounded out the action with a score of 151 points.
The Seminoles ran in a tight pack during the women's race, finishing in fifth through eighth place. Junior Susan Kuijken was the top scorer for the Seminoles as she finished with a time of 16:53.0 in the 4.6K race. Senior Lesley Van Miert was sixth with a time of 16:53.1 while sophomore Pilar McShine was seventh with a time of 16:53.2 and senior Lydia Willemse was eighth in 16:43.3.
Other finishers for FSU on the women's side were: Kacey Gibson in 12th place (17:18.9); Amanda Quick in 13th (17:25.5); Linzi Snow in 14th (17:28.9); Christina Woytalewicz in 17th (17:35.7) and Jennifer Dunn in 19th (17:38.0).
Florida State returns to action on Saturday, September 27 when they host the Florida State Invitational beginning at 7:30 a.m. (ET). The race will be held at the Miccosukee Greenway Park.
MEN 7.6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Luke Gunn 1 24:06.6 2 Matt Leeder 2 24:06.8 3 Daniel Roberts 3 24:07.1 4 Nick Sunseri 4 24:07.3 6 Justin Harbor 6 24:17.4 9 Jason Lakritz 9 24:19.5 10 Trey Andrews 10 24:20.6 12 Steeve Gabart xxx 24:40.8
Young Runners Get Into Action At FSU Invitational.
Women's Reserves Finish Fourth, Men Have Good Individual Performances.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The men's and women's cross country teams at Florida State saw action today (Sept. 27) at the Miccosukee Greenway Park as the race was dominated by younger members of both teams while the varsity continued training for next week's Notre Dame Invitational.
The women, although not using any of their top 9 runners, placed fourth in the women's portion of the event, which went 5K. Leading the way for FSU was Jessica Dunn, who finished fifth with a time of 18:16.25. Dunn was followed by Crystal Washington’s 15th place finish in a time of 18:44.42.
Kara Taylor was 17th on the day in a time of 18:50.53, while Emily Ness came in 31st place with a time of 19:16.03. Keyla Smith finished 43rd with a mark of 20:04.29 while Meredith Kelly's time of 20:09.22 was good enough for 46th. Jen Hillis was 53rd in a time of 20:24.18 while Briana Walker was 76th in a time of 21:54.51.
Rounding out action for the Florida State women's team were Hshkeni Richemond in 84th with a time of 22:28.78; Shannon Stuckman was 87th in a time of 22:37.38; Nicole Kenna was 88th with a time of 22:45.17 and Arica Halila was 95th in a time of 23:31.14.
FSU was fourth in the meet with 104 points, while South Florida was victorious with 38 points. Tampa finished second by amassing 67 team points and in third was Central Florida with 99 points.
"I am extremely excited about the performance of our younger athletes today," women's cross country head coach Karen Harvey said. "Jessica Dunn was tremendous today and I am very happy with the way our young team performed."
The men did not record a team score in the 8K early race, but got several strong performances from its younger runners as well, paced by Tyler Price who finished 11th with a time of 26:09.26. Stephen Wilson was 13th with a time of 26:21.23 while David Huckaby's mark of 26:37.74 was good enough for 20th. Daniel Silva rounded out the action with a 69th place finish in a time of 28:28.52.
Embry-Riddle was victorious in the men's race with 43 points while Florida Southern finished as the runner-up with 77 points.
"This event is always two-fold for us," head men's cross country coach Bob Braman commented. "First, we get a chance to get in a good workout on our home course and we also have a phenomenal opportunity to showcase one of our racing and training venues to some of the best high school kids in Florida," Braman continued. "We had over 1,000 high school athletes out here, and this really has turned into one of the top high school meets in the state of Florida."
After the collegiate races, a pair of varsity high school races 5K in length took place as well as open races for both genders. Halfmile Timing was the official timer for the first four races of the day.
The Seminoles returns to action next week when they travel to South Bend, Ind., for the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, October 3. Another group of FSU runners will travel to Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, October 4 for the Auburn Invitational as well.
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 11 Tyler Price 26:09.26 13 Stephen Wilson 26:21.23 20 David Huckaby 26:37.74 40 Nathan Duby 27:13.63 69 Daniel Silva 28:28.52
Florida State Sweeps Notre Dame Invitational.
Seminoles Down A Combined 16 Nationally-Ranked Teams.
SOUTH BEND, IN - The Florida State men's and women's cross country teams downed a combined 16 nationally-ranked teams in earning a pair of victories on Friday afternoon (Oct. 3) at the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational. The women took first with a pair of top 10 individual finishes to take down 11 ranked programs while the men placed two in the top 15 and bested five ranked squads.
The women's squad posted 88 total points to finish first in the field of 23 teams while earning victories over No. 6 Princeton, No. 10 Illinois, No. 13 Providence, No. 14 Florida, and No. 15 Michigan as well as six other ranked teams, plus four more squads that received votes in this week's USTFCCCA coaches' poll. Individually, the Seminoles were paced by junior Susan Kuijken who set a personal best in the 5K with a time of 16:26 to finish in second place overall. North Carolina senior Brie Felnagle won the race with a time of 16:21.
In addition to the highly-ranked squads, the women downed ACC foes North Carolina (14th) and Boston College (19th) as well as the host Irish (11th).
Behind the efforts of Kuijken, Lesley Van Miert finished in seventh place with a time of 16:44; Lydia Willemse was 13th in 17:03; Pilar McShine finished 26th in a time of 17:13; while Linzi Snow's time of 17:21 was 40th, Christina Woytalewicz's 17:39 was good enough for 63rd, Kacey Gibson's time of 17:48 placed 80th and Bree McAndle's mark of 18:20 was 130th. There were 186 total runners in the field.
"Our top six ran really well; usually we can really count on our top 5 in every race, but today our top six were great," women's cross country head coach Karen Harvey said. "Lesley Van Miert had a great debut to finish in seventh place, and Susan Kujiken ran a real steady race to finish second. To be successful this season, we are going to need Lydia Willemse to step up for us and she certainly did that for us in this race. We are really happy about our performance today, but we also realize that the NCAA's are a long way down the road and we are going to continue to work hard to be prepared for the extra distance (6K) when that time comes."
The men were first as well, winning the team portion of the event with 81 points, beating 24 other teams; including 10 opponents that were either nationally-ranked or receiving votes in this week's USTFCCCA coaches' poll. The men were able to down league foe North Carolina (5th) and host Notre Dame (6th), who tied with in-state rival Florida.
Individually, senior Luke Gunn was phenomenal, running an 8K time of 23:35, which is a new Florida State school record. Gunn's efforts netted him a fourth place finish in the race, as he beat Andrew Lemoncello's time of 23:43 from the 2005 campaign to set the new school standard.
Behind Gunn was Matt Leeder, who ran his race in a time of 24:01 to finish 14th; Daniel Roberts in 18th with a time of 24:07; Steeve Gabart in 21st with a mark of 24:10 and Justin Harbor, who posted a time of 24:15 to finish 24th. Other finishers for FSU were: Mike Fout in 30th with a time of 24:22; Nick Sunseri in 59th place with a time of 24:41; Trey Andrews in 89th place with time of 25:00 and Jason Laknitz in 100th place with a time of 25:09. There were 200 total competitors in the men's Blue Division race.
"We ran well, and we raced as a team today," head men's cross country coach Bob Braman commented. "This was the best team effort that I have seen up here at the Notre Dame Invitational from a Florida State team. I am real proud of Luke Gunn setting the Seminole 8K race time record and Mike Fout was impressive as well for his first time running a collegiate 8K race. Overall, this was a great effort and we are going to keep working hard to be ready for Pre-Nationals in two weeks."
One of the nation's premier races is up next for the men's and women's cross country teams when they head to the NCAA Pre-Nationals race on October 18 in Terre Haute, Ind. The meet, hosted by Indiana State University, is ran on the Lavern-Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, the site of this year's National Championship race to be held on November 24.
2008 NOTRE DAME CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MEN TEAM RESULTS - BLUE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY 4 14 18 21 24 (30) (59) = 81 2. TULSA 7 13 16 26 64 (110)(130) = 126 3. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY 2 17 32 35 50 (117)(120) = 136 4. PROVIDENCE COLLEGE 12 23 25 27 61 (67)(103) = 148 5. BUTLER 11 31 38 60 68 (92)(113) = 208 6. FLORIDA 3 15 47 57 95 (138)(141) = 217 6. NOTRE DAME 5 34 43 44 91 (101)(125) = 217 8. NEW MEXICO 33 37 48 56 66 (123)(132) = 240 9. MICHIGAN 22 39 42 83 90 (98)(106) = 276 10. EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY 10 58 71 72 79 (122)(147) = 290 11. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY 8 36 45 99 108 (131)(148) = 296 12. LAMAR UNIVERSITY 1 9 89 129 136 (153)(174) = 364 13. MIAMI UNIVERSITY (OHIO) 29 53 93 94 100 (104)(116) = 369 14. ARIZONA 52 63 69 80 112 (139)(166) = 376 15. NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL 49 51 88 102 127 (144)(163) = 417 16. UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY 40 84 85 86 128 (169)(170) = 423 17. EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY 6 19 115 149 150 (152) = 439 18. ILLINOIS STATE 20 65 81 142 145 (164)(173) = 453 19. INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY 73 76 82 87 137 (140)(159) = 455 20. MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY 46 74 78 121 160 (171)(172) = 479 21. NAVY 75 77 97 109 124 (126)(134) = 482 22. KENTUCKY 28 62 119 135 146 (157)(162) = 490 23. MICHIGAN STATE 96 105 107 111 118 (143)(156) = 537 24. SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY 54 55 114 158 165 (167)(168) = 546 25. MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY 41 70 133 151 154 (155)(161) = 549
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 4 Luke Gunn 4 23:35 14 Matt Leeder 14 24:01 18 Daniel Roberts 18 24:07 21 Steeve Gabart 21 24:10 24 Justin Harbor 24 24:15 30 Mike Fout 30 24:22 59 Nick Sunseri 59 24:41 89 Trey Andrews xxx 25:00 100 Jason Lakritz xxx 25:09
Seminole Cross Country Competes At Auburn Invitational To Wrap Up Busy Weekend.
Several members of both squads compete while varsity squads sweep at Notre Dame.
AUBURN, AL - Several members of the Florida State men's and women's cross country teams competed this weekend at the Auburn Invitational, held at the Indian Pines Golf Course. The men's race was an 8K event while the women's race was 5K in distance.
Only two members of the men's team competed in the event, with no team score being recorded. Tyler Price finished in 71st place with a mark of 24:40.72 while Daniel Silva was 189th with a time of 27:48.69.
The women's team finished 13th in the field of 23 teams. Individually, Kara Taylor's time of 17:52.78 was good enough for 52nd; Jennifer Dunn covered the course in 18:17.16 for an 80th place finish; Emily Ness recorded a time of 18:57.07 for 121st place; Mary Magee's time of 19:31.19 put her in 150th; Meredith Kelly posted a time of 19:38.71 to finish in 155th place; Jen Hillis was 158th with a time of 19:47.25; Amanda Skillen's mark of 21:18.86 was 190th; Nicole Kenna recorded a time of 21:22.44 to finish in 193rd and Briana Walker's time of 21:42.71 was 194th.
The full varsity teams completed an impressive sweep this past weekend as well for the Seminoles as FSU swept both the men's and women's races at the Notre Dame Invitational. The teams combined to down 16 nationally-ranked squads on Friday (Oct. 3) afternoon.
Next up for Florida State is a trip to the NCAA Pre-Nationals on October 18 in Terre Haute, Ind.
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 71 Tyler Price xxx 24:40.72 189 Daniel Silva xxx 27:48.69
Seminoles Enjoy Solid Outing At NCAA Pre-Nationals Meet.
Susan Kujiken Sets Course Record By Tenth Of A Second In 6K Women's Race.
TERRE HAUTE, IN - On a perfect day for racing at the NCAA Pre-Nationals on the LaVerne Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, the Florida State men's and women's teams enjoyed solid performances across the board, but the day belonged to junior Susan Kujiken, who won the Women's 6K White Race in a course record time of 19:49.2.
The FSU women tied for the White Race team championship with No. 5 nationally-ranked Princeton as both teams amassed 89 points. No. 11 Michigan was third with a score of 168 while No. 17 Illinois was fourth with 186 points. No. 19 Georgetown rounded out the top five as they were tied with the Illini for fourth place with a score of 186.
The men enjoyed a successful day out on the course as well as they were fourth in the 8K Blue Race with 212 total points. Alabama ranked sixth nationally and No. 1 in the South Region, took the team title with 89 points while No. 16 Northern Arizona was second at 113 points. No. 9 Michigan clipped the Seminoles with a team score of 146. No. 14 Minnesota finished fifth with a score of 234.
The men's team was without the services of senior Luke Gunn, who has been slowed with soreness in his legs this past week.
Kujiken just clipped the old course standard by one-tenth of a second, held previously by Colorado's Jenny Barringer as she raced to the individual national championship last year, with her personal best mark of 19:49.2. She now holds the second-fastest time in the history of the FSU Cross Country program, as Vicky Gill's 6K mark of 19:48, set in 2002, is still tops all-time.
"Coach Harvey told me before the race that if I felt good with 2K to go, that I should make a real push and try to win the race," Kujiken said just moments after her record setting performance. "I didn't really feel all that good with 2K left, but I decided at that moment to go ahead and make a strong push for the win. I kept hearing the announcer mention that I had a lead and had a chance at the course record when I got the finish in sight, so I made a final push and just let loose down the stretch."
Kujiken's efforts plus that of Lesley Van Miert gave the Seminoles a pair of runners near the front of the pack as Lesley Van Miert came in sixth place with a time of 20:25. Van Miert's mark is the fifth-best in the history of the program. Pilar McShine finished 11th with a time of 20:43 to notch the sixth-best mark in FSU history. Both are of those times also proved to be personal bests.
Linzi Snow's time of 21:05 was a personal best for her as well, and placed her in 30th place overall. Heading into the race Snow's time would have been the ninth-fastest in the history of the program, but with Kujiken, Van Miert and McShine cracking the list, it is now the 12th-fastest 6K race in the history of FSU.
Rounding out the day for FSU was Lydia Willemse, who was 42nd with a time of 21:16; Christina Woytalewicz in 91st with a time of 21:49 and Kacey Gibson, who was 120th in 22:05.
In the 6K women's open race Bree McArdle was 52nd with a time of 22:44.2.
"Our Top 3 ran really well for us today," women's cross country head coach Karen Harvey said. "I guess if we are going to learn something about ourselves then let's do it today. We now know that our team needs to do it together. We came here to learn, and that is what we did."
The men earned a fourth place team finish with a trio of solid top 35 finishes. Without the services of Gunn, Daniel Roberts paced FSU with a 28th place finish in a time of 24:10.1. Roberts' time will be etched into the Seminole record books as well as it is now tied with Gunn's 2006 performance for eighth on the all-time best 8K best list.
Behind Roberts was Matt Leeder, who was 32nd in a time of 24:12.2 while Steeve Gabart was solid with a time of 24:12.3 to finish in 33rd.
Mike Fout returned to his home - the Hoosier State - to finish in a time of 24:27.7 for 51st place. Nick Sunseri finished 68th with a time of 24:38.4 to round out the FSU scorers while Justin Harbor was 193rd with a time of 25:40.8 and Trey Andrews was 260th in a time of 26:46.7.
In the 8K men's open race, Jason Lakritz was 27th in time of 25:21.4.
"This was a very good race for us today," men's head coach Bob Braman said. "We notched a couple of big wins over teams that will help us down the road, and we performed well without Luke Gunn. This was a very productive race for our team, and we are looking forward to moving on to race for the league championship in two weeks."
November 1 is the date of the next race for FSU as they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.
2008 PRE-NATIONALS
HOSTED BY INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2008
MEN'S 8OOO METER BLUE TEAM RESULTS
==================================
1. 89 Alabama 22. 530 Tennessee
2. 113 Northern Arizona 23. 575 Oklahoma State
3. 146 Michigan 24. 629 Weber State
4. 212 Florida State 25. 685 New Mexico
5. 234 Minnesota 26. 714 Southern Utah
6. 242 William & Mary 27. 717 Wyoming
7. 273 Cal Poly 28. 724 Harvard
8. 315 California 29. 744 Charlotte
9. 321 Providence 30. 770 Marquette
10. 366 North Carolina St. 31. 771 Dayton
11. 401 Notre Dame 32. 781 East Tenn. St.
12. 430 Butler 33. 789 Nebraska
13. 431 Dartmouth 34. 800 UC Irvine
14. 464 Eastern Kentucky 35. 815 UC Riverside
15. 467 Syracuse 36. 892 Utah State
16. 486 Miami (Ohio) 36. 892 Arizona
17. 496 Washington St. 38. 974 Ohio U.
18. 512 Iowa 39. 1050 Georgia
19. 518 Missouri 40. 1171 Loyola (Ill.)
20. 521 UMass Amherst 41. 1257 East Carolina
21. 527 Ohio State
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 28 Daniel Roberts 28 24:10.1 32 Matt Leeder 32 24:12.2 33 Steeve Gabart 33 24:12.3 51 Mike Fout 51 24:27.7 68 Nick Sunseri 68 24:38.4 193 Justin Harbor 193 25:40.8 260 Trey Andrews 260 26:46.7
Florida State Takes Top Honors At ACC Championships.
The women's cross country team places five runners in the top 10.
CHAPEL HILL, NC - Florida State women's cross country took top honors this morning as they were named the 2008 ACC Champions in the 6K conference run. The Seminoles grabbed five out of the top ten spots while also having two runners set personal records. The men's team came in at fourth with one Seminole coming in the top ten.
Leading the women was junior Susan Kuijken who crossed the finish line at 20:11.0. Coming in shortly after was senior Lesley Van Miert who placed fourth with 20:32.0 and just three seconds shy of repeating her personal best record was sophomore Pilar McShine at sixth with 20:43.0. Linzi Snow came dashing in at seventh with 20:57.0 and finishing off the top ten for the Seminoles was senior Lydia Willemse at ninth with 20:59.9-a personal best. All five ladies earned All-ACC for their times in today's race.
"We are really happy with the win," said women's head coach Karen Harvey. "I have been saying all week long we can not just focus on the outcome and they took that seriously today. I challenged them last night to really pack up as a group and they did it."
Having the race of her life by debuting in the top 15 and also setting a personal best record was junior Christina Woytalewicz with 21:21.8. Woytalewicz was short sixth-tenths of a second from earning All-ACC honors.
"This was truly the race of her life," said Harvey. "I told her earlier today this would be the race of her life and I meant it. She massively improved today. Having all six of these girls improve is what we needed."
On the men's front, sophomore Matt Leeder led the Seminoles coming in at seventh with 24:36.5. Steeve Gaabart was the next Seminole in at 24:48.6 while senior Luke Gunn held tight with 24:58.2. Despite having fewer team points than last year's ACC Championships, the men finished at fourth with 80.
"I think it was a tough day," said men's head coach Bob Braman. "The sad thing is we were winning the race at three miles. We have some guys hurt and once we get them healthy, we will be back."
Both teams will now set their focus to regionals in two weeks held in Knoxville, Tennessee on November 15th then the NCAA Championships on November 24th in Terre Haute, Ind.
"There is 23 days to go until nationals. We need to get stronger, fitter, more committed and stay healthy," said Harvey. "This is going to be harder than any other meet we have had. I see our team making big improvements."
ACC Cross Country Championships - 11/1/2008
Team Scores
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Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7
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Results - Men
1 Virginia 40 1 6 8 9 16 43
2 NC State 56 4 5 12 13 22 48 54
3 Virginia Tech 75 3 11 15 20 26 29 41
4 Florida State 80 7 14 17 18 24 27 32
5 Duke 127 10 25 28 31 33 42 44
6 Maryland 199 19 23 45 55 57 59 73
6 Boston College 199 2 36 46 53 62 64 68
8 North Carolina 209 30 34 35 52 58 63 66
9 Clemson 212 21 39 40 51 61 65 69
10 Georgia Tech 239 37 47 49 50 56 60 67
11 Wake Forest 342 38 71 72 80 81 82 83
12 Miami 372 70 74 75 76 77 78 79
MEN 8K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 7 Matt Leeder 7 24:36.5 14 Steeve Gabart 14 24:48.6 17 Luke Gunn 17 24:58.2 18 Nick Sunseri 18 25:01.3 24 Daniel Roberts 24 25:14.8 27 Mike Fout 27 25:22.1 32 Jason Lakritz 32 25:33.0 52 Trey Andrews xxx 25:58.2 74 Tyler Price xxx 26:34.7 78 Justin Harbor xxx 26:50.4
KNOXVILLE, TN - Florida State's cross country teams had a successful day at regionals with the women holding firm as the NCAA South Regional Champions for the second consecutive year and men taking third. Tennessee played host to a total of 47 schools at the Lambert Acres Gold Club in Maryville, Tenn., earlier today.
The women had a triumphant day this morning in the 6K with four runners coming in the top 10. Junior Susan Kuijken (Nijmegen, Netherlands) was the third runner to come in and first Seminole to cross the finish line at 21:05.74. Racing across the line shortly after was sophomore Pilar McShine (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) at fourth with 21:06.06. Rounding off the top ten were veterans Linzi Snow (Epping, England) in eighth with 21:11.75 and Lydia Willemse (Forest, Ontario) at ninth with 21:13.07.
"We ran as easy as we could today," said women's head coach Karen Harvey. "We were just aiming for top two but glad to see our girls stepped up."
Although taking first at regionals is something to celebrate about, the true victory today was the fact the undefeated Seminoles earned an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championship to be held in Terre Haute, Ind., November 24th.
Coming off a fourth place finish at the ACC Championships, Coach Braman took the men's cross country team to another level and coached the men to a third place finish for the 10K run. Leading the Seminoles was junior Daniel Roberts (Vicksburg, Mich.) coming in sixth with 31:14.26. Rounding off the top 15 was sophomore Matt Leeder (Brockville, Ontario) at 12th with 31:32.44, No. 13 senior Steeve Gabart (Miami, Fla.) crossing the line in 31:49.78 and walk-on Nick Sunseri (Raleigh, N.C.) finishing 15th with 31:52.81.
"We did a really good job," said men's head coach Bob Braman. "Our depth was really good today. Daniel Roberts was fantastic as the first American runner to come in. We really stepped up and the guys definitely redeemed themselves from the ACC Championships."
The men's team will now wait for an at-large bid to compete at nationals along with the women in just nine days.
"Like is said before, there are only two meets that count: regionals and nationals," said Braman. "You can't have the second without the first."
Both the men and women placed 11 All-Regional runners with the women having 6 and men bringing in five.
NCAA South Regional - 11/15/2008
Cross Country Championship
Hosted by University of Tennessee
Team Scores
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Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7
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1 Alabama 49 5 8 9 10 17 72 87
2 Auburn 59 1 2 3 23 30 37 47
3 Florida State 66 6 11 13 14 22 33 40
4 Florida 133 7 15 31 38 42 48 50
5 Tennessee 156 18 24 25 32 57 71 100
6 Mississippi St. 164 12 19 28 41 64 93 107
7 East Tenn. St. 165 20 21 27 46 51 92
8 Georgia State 227 4 36 52 67 68 79 82
9 Belmont 236 29 43 49 55 60 80 91
10 Georgia Tech 263 34 44 53 54 78 81
11 Chattanooga 284 16 45 66 74 83 88
12 Georgia 318 56 58 65 69 70 75
13 Vanderbilt 401 61 62 77 96 105 109 116
14 Mississippi 409 26 35 76 134 138
15 Samford 435 39 84 97 104 111 117 119
16 Troy 474 63 73 94 120 124 127 128
17 Lipscomb 501 86 99 102 106 108 115 118
18 Jacksonville St. 529 59 89 114 132 135 136 137
19 South Florida 540 85 95 103 126 131 133
20 Tennessee Tech 546 90 110 112 113 121 122
21 Austin Peay 576 98 101 123 125 129 130
MEN 10K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 6 Daniel Roberts 6 31:14.26 12 Matt Leeder 11 31:32.44 14 Steeve Gabart 13 31:49.78 15 Nick Sunseri 14 31:52.81 23 Jason Lakritz 22 32:18.58 34 Justin Harbor 33 33:01.92 41 Trey Andrews 40 33:12.93
Florida State Finishes Third At 2008 NCAA Cross Country Nationals.
Kuijken sets personal record and places second at nationals.
TERRE HAUTE, IN - Despite temperatures dropping below 40 degrees Fahrenheit right before races began, Florida State fought through the bitter cold and was able to post three All-Americans and have eight student-athletes set personal records, one of which who took second place at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Nationals. Host Indiana welcomed the nation's top collegiate runners to Terre Haute this weekend to run at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course for elite competition.
"The cold and windy conditions at NCAA's were challenging for this team," said women's head coach Karen Harvey. "These ladies could have used the unusually harsh conditions as an excuse, but they are tougher than that. I think some other teams and followers of the sport doubted FSU's ability to compete in the cold."
Starting off the day for the Seminoles was the women's cross country team hitting the 6K course at 12 p.m. Junior Susan Kuijken (Nijmegen, Netherlands) set the standard high this afternoon as she not only was the first Seminole to reset her personal record to 19:35, but also fought till the finish and placed second. The two other women's runners to set personal records were sophomore Pilar McShine (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) with 20:35 (22nd place) and junior Linzi Snow (Epping, England) with 20:51 (43rd place). Senior Lesley Van Miert (Breda, Netherlands) also had something to celebrate for as she, along with Kuijken and McShine, were named All-Americans for their finishes in the top 40. The Seminoles finished third overall at nationals with 163 points.
"My husband and I both believe we had 5 runners race above and beyond which is truly unique and we can't be more proud of this team," said Harvey. "We have been ranked third all year and we defended that ranking. We wanted a trophy and we got one! Susan really put herself out there and went for the individual title. She showed a lot of courage and ran a lifetime best-time and school record. This team is special and they truly ran for each other today which shows they have a tremendous amount love and respect for each other."
Despite finishing 26th as a team, the men's cross country team had five student-athletes set personal records in the 10K run: sophomore Matt Leeder (Brockville, Ontario) with 31:00 (89th place), seniors Steeve Gabart (Miami, Fla.) with 31:18.7 (122nd ) and Nick Sunseri (Raleigh, N.C.) with 31:24 (130th) and juniors Jason Lakritz (New Windsor, N.Y.) with 31:52.1 (169th) and Trey Andrews (Titusville, Fla.) with 32:37.8 (200th). Junior Daniel Roberts (Vicksburg, Mich.) led his team as he was the first Seminole to cross the finish line at 30:47.2 in 66th place.
"I felt like we fought pretty hard," said men's head coach Bob Braman. "We have had a lot of injuries and disappointments this year that our team has had to overcome. To get five personal-best times is a testament to that. They gave a good effort and that is all you can ask for."
Place School Results
===== ========================= =======
1. OREGON 93
2. IONA COLLEGE 147
3. STANFORD 227
4. WISCONSIN 229
5. AUBURN 264
6. NORTHERN ARIZONA 281
7. PORTLAND 293
8. OKLAHOMA STATE 305
9. BRIGHAM YOUNG 310
10. ALABAMA 319
GEORGETOWN 319
12. COLORADO 372
13. TULSA 377
14. VIRGINIA 383
15. MINNESOTA 385
16. WILLIAM & MARY 412
17. IOWA STATE 435
18. WASHINGTON 438
19. NOTRE DAME 446
20. PROVIDENCE COLLEGE 465
21. NORTH CAROLINA STATE 473
22. CALIFORNIA 477
23. CAL POLY-SLO 513
24. MICHIGAN 522
25. PENN STATE 547
26. FLORIDA STATE 576
UCLA 576
28. ARKANSAS 579
29. BUTLER 602
30. TEXAS A&M 609
31. VILLANOVA 642
MEN 10K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 85 Daniel Roberts 66 30:47.2 110 Matt Leeder 89 31:00.2 153 Steeve Gabart 122 31:18.7 162 Nick Sunseri 130 31:24.0 206 Jason Lakritz 169 31:52.1 238 Trey Andrews 200 32:37.8 252 Justin Harbor 214 34:26.8