2008 Women's Cross Country - Year In Review
Karen Harvey, Head Coach
Kevin Cook, Volunteer Assistant
Harry Norton, Graduate Assistant
Kevin Sullivan, Volunteer Assistant
Click here to see individual mug shots
2008 Women's Cross Country - Year In Review | |
| Coaching Staff Karen Harvey, Head Coach Kevin Cook, Volunteer Assistant Harry Norton, Graduate Assistant Kevin Sullivan, Volunteer Assistant Click here to see individual mug shots |
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Karen Harvey Elevated To Women's Cross Country Coach At Florida State.
With Harvey's assistance in 2007, Florida State produced its highest finish in the women's cross country program's history.
Aug. 28, 2008
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida State Director of Athletics Randy Spetman and Track and Field/Cross Country Coach Bob Braman have announced that Karen Harvey, in her second season with the Seminoles, has been named the head coach of the women's cross country team.
"Karen's accomplishments as an athlete and now as a coach put her in a class of her own," Spetman said. "If her first season with Florida State is any indication of what we can expect in the future with this program, then we certainly have a lot to look forward to. She is very deserving of this position."
In 2007, her first season as an assistant coach on the Florida State staff, Harvey helped the Seminoles produce the highest finish in the program’s history and significantly contributed to a pair of top 15 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Few coaches, if any, can match the resume Harvey has put together over the last four seasons. On the trails she has produced a trio of top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championship, back-to-back NCAA Regional titles, five All-Americans, two conference champions and a pair of Regional Athletes of the Year. On the track she has coached six All-Americans, including three national champions. Individually, she has been honored with four regional or conference Coach of the Year awards, including ACC and NCAA South Region Women’s Coach of the Year honors in 2007.
Evidence of her coaching acumen came in the first few weeks of the 2007 season as career-best times were dropping across the board. That continued throughout the season and Seminoles made their presence known on a national scale when they vaulted to third in the USTFCCCA poll after an impressive showing at the Pre-NCAA meet.
At the following competition the Seminoles made history for the first time as they won the ACC Championships with Susan Kuijken leading the way with the program's first individual championship. Two weeks later another milestone was passed as Kuijken once again led Florida State to victory as the team claimed its first NCAA South Regional title behind the sophomore's dominating victory.
Having achieved a program-best number two national rankings, the Seminoles went into the NCAA Championships looking to get on the podium for the first time. Florida State fulfilled its goal as Kuijken's third-place finish - the highest individual finish ever - coupled with All-America honors from Barbara Parker earned the team a third-place finish.
Success in the distance events carried over to the track where Kuijken won the 3000m run and sophomore Hannah England captured the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The duo set the ACC and school records in their events and accounted for 20 of the 28 points the team used to take sixth which was its best finish since 1986.
England repeated her success at the Outdoor National Championship, winning the 1500m with an NCAA meet, ACC and school record of 4:06.19. Kuijken also earned All-America honors in the event by taking eighth and their 11 points were 68 percent of the Seminoles' 12th-place finish.
This summer the veteran coach actually had a "first" in her career. Parker qualified for the Summer Olympic in Beijing as part of the British National Team, giving Harvey her first Olympian. She will take part in the steeplechase at the Games. England also had an Olympic "A" standard, but was not chosen for the British contingency.
In her five years prior to joining Florida State, Harvey turned Illinois into one of the best cross country programs in the country. Her last two seasons, Illinois posted top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championships after an eighth-place showing in 2006.
A 1996 graduate of the University of Michigan, Harvey received her B.A. in anthropology. An All-American for the Wolverines in cross country and on the track, Harvey competed from 1991-95, placing 21st at the 1992 NCAA Cross Country Championships, while also earning first team All-Big Ten honors in 1992 and '95. In track, Harvey finished eighth in the mile at the 1994 NCAA Indoor Championships and fifth in the 3,000 meters in 1995. She was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree while winning the 1995 Scholar Athlete of the Year award.
Harvey also enjoyed an impressive professional career that included a No. 1 world ranking in the 3000 meter steeplechase in 1998. A nine-time member of Canadian National Teams, (three world cross country teams) Harvey is the former Canadian record holder in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:14.27 and finished fifth at the 1998 Goodwill games in the event. In 2000, Harvey was the top Canadian 1500-meter runner after clocking a time of 4:16 at the Boston Indoor Games.
A native of Brantford, Ontario, Harvey is married to four-time NCAA Champion and four-time Olympian Kevin Sullivan who is a volunteer assistant coach with the Seminole track and cross country programs.
Keesha Danso-Dapahh, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Jennifer Dunn, Decatur, Ala.
Kacey Gibson, New Castle, Pa.
Nicole Kenna, Brandon
Emily Ness, Tallahassee
Laura Ragland, Saint Augustine
Linzi Snow, Epping, England
Lyndsey Spragins, Indialantic
Kara Taylor, Tallahassee
Lesley Van Miert, Breda, Netherlands
Christal Washington, Hollywood
2008 Roster - By Name
L
T PY
R Name Hgt Cl Ltr Hometown (Prior School)
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Margee Ankil Fr Oviedo (Oviedo)
Keesha Danso-Dapahh Fr Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (Saint Aloysius Gonzaga)
Jennifer Dunn Fr Decatur, Ala. (Austin)
* Kacey Gibson Fr New Castle, Pa. (Neshannock)
Arica Halila Fr Boynton Beach (West Boca Raton Community)
Jen Hillis So Tampa (King)
Meredith Kelly Sr Clermont (East Ridge)
Nicole Kenna Fr Brandon (Brandon)
* Susan Kuijken Jr ** Nijmegen, Netherlands (Stedelijk Gymnasium)
Mary Magee Jr-R Seminole (Seminole)
* Bree McArdle So Queensland, Australia (Saint Peter's Lutheran)
* Pilar McShine So-R * Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago (Success Laventille Composite)
Emily Ness Fr Tallahassee (Maclay)
* Amanda Quick 5-7 So-R Tampa (Gaither)
Laura Ragland Fr Saint Augustine (Bartram Trail)
Hshkeni Richemond Sr Suffern, N.Y. (Suffern)
Amanda Skillen Jr Seminole (Seminole)
Heather Smith Jr Coral Springs (Douglas)
Keyla Smith Sr Daytona Beach (Mainland)
* Linzi Snow Jr Epping, England (Saint Mary's College)
Lyndsey Spragins Fr Indialantic (Melbourne)
Shannon Stuckman Sr Gainesville (P.K. Yonge)
* Kara Taylor Fr Tallahassee (Chiles)
* Lesley Van Miert Sr Breda, Netherlands (Mencia de Mendoza Lyceum/Northern Arizona)
Briana Walker Fr-R Jacksonville (Rio Mesa)
Christal Washington Fr Hollywood (South Broward)
* Lydia Willemse Jr-R ** Forest, Ontario, Canada (Saint Christopher)
* Christina Woytalewicz 5-5 Jr-R * Brandon (Riverview)
2008 Conference Awards
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Karen Harvey Atlantic Coast Conference - Coach of the Year
Susan Kuijken Atlantic Coast Conference - Champion
Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
Pilar McShine Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
Linzi Snow Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
Lesley Van Miert Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
Lydia Willemse Atlantic Coast Conference - All-Conference
All-Conference - 6
2008 All-Americans
Name Organization
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Susan Kuijken NCAA - All-American - 2nd place
Pilar McShine NCAA - All-American - 29th place
Lesley Van Miert NCAA - All-American - 38th place
All-Americans - 3
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 Championship 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 Florida State 58 2 Boston College 106 3 Wake Forest 112 4t Duke 124 4t Virginia 124 6 North Carolina 137 7 Virginia Tech 150 8 Clemson 170 9 Maryland 236 10 North Carolina State 262 11 Georgia Tech 289 12 Miami 392
2008 EOY Stats
Team Overall Name Races Top 7 Top 10 Wins =============================================== Pilar McShine 7 7 4 1 Lydia Willemse 7 7 4 0 Kacey Gibson 7 6 1 0 Christina Woytalewicz 7 6 1 0 Susan Kuijken 6 6 6 2 Linzi Snow 6 6 2 0 Lesley Van Miert 5 5 4 0 Amanda Quick 4 4 1 0 Jennifer Dunn 4 3 2 0 Kara Taylor 4 2 0 0 Emily Ness 3 2 0 0 Bree McArdle 3 1 1 0 Meredith Kelly 2 2 0 0 Jen Hillis 2 2 0 0 Briana Walker 2 0 0 0 Nicole Kenna 2 0 0 0 Christal Washington 1 1 0 0 Keyla Smith 1 1 0 0 Mary Magee 1 1 0 0 Amanda Skillen 1 1 0 0 Hshkeni Richemond 1 0 0 0 Shannon Stuckman 1 0 0 0 Arica Halila 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.
Women's Team Finishes:
1) Florida State 15 pts
2) Appalachian State 74
3) Charlotte B 75
4) Clemson 125
5) Winthrop 158
6) Usc Upstate 161
7) North Florida 185
8) Lees-McRae 199
9) Mars Hill 268
10) Spartenburg 285
11) Valdosta State 288
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Pilar McShine 1 18:20 2 Lydia Willemse 2 18:21 3 Amanda Quick 3 18:29 4 Bree McArdle 4 18:38 5 Kacey Gibson 5 18:45 8 Jennifer Dunn 8 19:05 10 Christina Woytalewicz 10 19:07 12 Kara Taylor xxx 19:20 36 Emily Ness xxx 20:15
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.
WOMEN 4.6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 5 Susan Kuijken 5 16:53.0 6 Lesley Van Miert 6 16:53.1 7 Pilar McShine 7 16:53.2 8 Lydia Willemse 8 16:53.3 12 Kacey Gibson 12 17:18.9 13 Amanda Quick 13 17:25.5 14 Linzi Snow 14 17:28.9 17 Christina Woytalewicz xxx 17:35.7 19 Jennifer Dunn xxx 17:38.0
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.
Team Scores
Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7
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1 South Florida 38 1 3 7 12 15 22 25
2 Tampa 67 2 5 17 20 23 28 31
3 Central Florida 99 6 18 19 27 29 33 37
4 Florida State 104 4 14 16 30 40 41 48
5 Embry-Riddle 116 11 13 24 32 36 39 52
6 North Florida 155 9 21 35 43 47 49 51
7 Florida Atlantic 192 10 38 42 44 58 70
8 Florida Southern 236 8 45 50 65 68
9 Florida Tech 255 26 46 55 62 66 69 75
10 Florida Gulf Coast 268 34 53 56 61 64 73
11 Pasco-Hernando CC 293 54 57 59 60 63 67 71
12 Edward Waters 383 72 74 77 79 81 83 84
13 St. Thomas 401 76 78 80 82 85 86
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 5 Jennifer Dunn 4 18:16.25 15 Christal Washington 14 18:44.42 17 Kara Taylor 16 18:50.53 31 Emily Ness 30 19:16.03 43 Keyla Smith 40 20:04.29 46 Meredith Kelly 41 20:09.22 53 Jen Hillis 48 20:24.18 76 Briana Walker xxx 21:54.51 84 Hshkeni Richemond xxx 22:28.78 87 Shannon Stuckman xxx 22:37.38 88 Nicole Kenna xxx 22:45.17 95 Arica Halila xxx 23:31.14
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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WOMEN TEAM RESULTS - BLUE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY 2 7 13 26 40 (63) (80) = 88 2. PRINCETON 16 21 25 29 33 (36) (50) = 124 3. MICHIGAN 5 11 30 43 47 (55) (70) = 136 4. STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY 20 22 23 35 56 (112)(157) = 156 5. FLORIDA 24 28 31 39 57 (85)(107) = 179 6. SOUTHERN METHODIST 6 41 49 72 77 (121)(123) = 245 7. PROVIDENCE COLLEGE 9 48 51 69 73 (111)(120) = 250 8. RICE UNIVERSITY 10 18 32 66 125 (139)(146) = 251 9. ILLINOIS 8 45 62 64 78 (127)(128) = 257 9. NEW MEXICO 27 44 52 59 75 (88) (90) = 257 11. NOTRE DAME 17 38 54 81 82 (97)(103) = 272 12. TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY 4 34 58 96 116 (126)(135) = 308 13. TULSA 3 37 89 92 94 (102)(119) = 315 14. NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL 1 15 99 101 137 (154)(155) = 353 15. ARIZONA 12 60 65 93 124 (131)(145) = 354 16. KENTUCKY 42 53 67 91 104 (153)(160) = 357 17. AKRON 14 61 79 100 109 (122)(133) = 363 18. MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY 71 74 76 83 84 (134)(140) = 388 19. BOSTON COLLEGE 46 68 87 95 114 (115)(117) = 410 20. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY 19 105 136 141 142 (150)(152) = 543 21. UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY 106 108 113 118 132 (138)(144) = 577 22. SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY 98 110 130 143 149 (151)(156) = 630 23. MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY 86 129 147 148 158 (159) = 668
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 2 Susan Kuijken 2 16:26 7 Lesley Van Miert 7 16:44 13 Lydia Willemse 13 17:03 26 Pilar McShine 26 17:13 40 Linzi Snow 40 17:21 63 Christina Woytalewicz 63 17:39 80 Kacey Gibson 80 17:48 130 Bree McArdle xxx 18:20
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.
WOMEN 5K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 52 Kara Taylor 52 17:52.78 80 Jennifer Dunn 80 18:17.16 121 Emily Ness 121 18:57.07 150 Mary Magee 150 19:31.19 155 Meredith Kelly 155 19:38.71 158 Jen Hillis 158 19:47.15 190 Amanda Skillen 190 21:18.86 193 Nicole Kenna xxx 21:22.44 194 Briana Walker xxx 21:42.71
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
WOMEN'S 6000 METER WHITE TEAM RESULTS
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1. 89 Florida State 21. 556 Harvard
1. 89 Princeton 22. 586 Akron
3. 168 Michigan 23. 596 Virginia
4. 186 Illinois 24. 599 Wichita State
4. 186 Georgetown 25. 600 UCLA
6. 202 Arizona State 26. 611 Utah
7. 203 Baylor 27. 652 Vanderbilt
8. 265 Stony Brook 28. 654 Purdue
9. 350 Nebraska 29. 735 Colorado St
10. 374 Northern Arizona 30. 770 Cincinnati
11. 375 Syracuse 31. 787 Northwestern
12. 395 UC Davis 32. 814 Dayton
13. 420 Notre Dame 33. 830 Southern Utah
14. 461 UC Riverside 34. 849 Loyola (Ill.)
15. 474 California 35. 879 Ohio State
16. 487 William & Mary 36. 928 Liberty
17. 505 UC Irvine 37. 1056 Eastern Michigan
18. 518 Tulsa 38. 1222 Mississippi
19. 543 Columbia 39. 1305 Morehead State
20. 552 Colorado
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Susan Kuijken 1 19:49 5 Lesley Van Miert 5 20:25 11 Pilar McShine 11 20:43 30 Linzi Snow 30 21:05 42 Lydia Willemse 42 21:16 91 Christina Woytalewicz 91 21:49 120 Kacey Gibson 120 22:05
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
=======================================================================
Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7
=======================================================================
Results - Women
1 Florida State 58 15 32 1 4 6 7 9
2 Boston College 106 12 14 23 27 30 36 43
3 Wake Forest 112 11 16 22 25 38 72 74
4 Duke 124 18 19 26 28 33 39 45
4 Virginia 124 17 8 10 42 47 50 59
6 North Carolina 137 29 3 5 46 54 58 64
7 Virginia Tech 150 21 34 2 40 53 61 63
8 Clemson 170 13 20 41 44 52 60 67
9 Maryland 236 35 37 51 56 57 62 65
10 NC State 262 24 49 55 66 68 73
11 Georgia Tech 289 31 48 69 70 71 76 78
12 Miami 392 75 77 79 80 81 82
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 1 Susan Kuijken 1 20:11.0 4 Lesley Van Miert 4 20:32.0 6 Pilar McShine 6 20:43.0 7 Linzi Snow 7 20:57.0 9 Lydia Willemse 9 20:59.9 15 Christina Woytalewicz 15 21:21.8 32 Amanda Quick 32 21:45.8 37 Kacey Gibson xxx 21:51.6 51 Bree McArdle xxx 22:16.1 58 Kara Taylor xxx 22:32.2
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
=======================================================================
Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7
=======================================================================
1 Florida State 41 3 4 8 9 17 24 34
2 Florida 64 5 6 10 13 30 32 40
3 Tennessee 116 2 11 23 38 42 58 106
4 Georgia 154 25 26 29 35 39 44 119
5 Auburn 156 1 28 31 33 63 90
6 Uab 198 18 36 43 46 55 81 95
7 Vanderbilt 200 14 27 48 54 57 70 104
8 Alabama 219 7 12 52 71 77 78 124
9 Belmont 309 20 61 68 75 85 100 127
10 Jacksonville 348 37 41 67 96 107
11 Georgia State 349 15 21 94 108 111 116 135
12 Samford 359 45 49 80 88 97 98 118
13 Chattanooga 367 56 64 72 74 101 132
14 South Florida 376 47 65 69 93 102 109 125
15 Georgia Tech 379 22 51 91 103 112 113 115
16 Mississippi St. 380 53 62 79 87 99 122
17 Mid. Tenn. State 396 16 73 76 114 117
18 Central Florida 438 59 83 84 92 120 128 133
19 Tennessee Tech 480 19 82 110 131 138
20 Lipscomb 516 66 86 105 129 130 140
21 Mississippi 540 60 89 121 134 136 141
22 Austin Peay 600 50 126 139 142 143 144
23 Troy 698 123 137 145 146 147
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 3 Susan Kuijken 3 21:05.74 4 Pilar McShine 4 21:06.06 8 Linzi Snow 8 21:11.75 9 Lydia Willemse 9 21:13.07 17 Kacey Gibson 17 21:34.67 24 Christina Woytalewicz 24 21:46.20 34 Amanda Quick 34 22:12.64
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. WASHINGTON 79
2. OREGON 131
3. FLORIDA STATE 163
4. WEST VIRGINIA 198
5. PRINCETON 220
6. VILLANOVA 248
7. TEXAS TECH 272
8. STANFORD 299
9. GEORGETOWN 305
10. ILLINOIS 318
11. MICHIGAN STATE 336
MINNESOTA 336
13. PROVIDENCE COLLEGE 340
14. ARIZONA STATE 381
15. ARKANSAS 404
16. MICHIGAN 416
17. FLORIDA 454
18. NEW MEXICO 475
19. BAYLOR 484
20. SOUTHERN METHODIST 504
21. WISCONSIN 530
22. RICE 535
23. NORTHERN ARIZONA 536
24. IOWA 538
25. NEBRASKA 539
26. VIRGINIA 605
27. BOSTON COLLEGE 651
28. SYRACUSE 658
29. NOTRE DAME 689
30. NEW YORK-STONY BROOK 712
31. KENTUCKY 824
WOMEN 6K RACE Place Name Points Time ===== ========================= ====== ======== 2 Susan Kuijken 2 19:34.9 29 Pilar McShine 22 20:34.5 38 Lesley Van Miert 29 20:41.7 53 Linzi Snow 43 20:51.0 86 Lydia Willemse 67 21:06.7 156 Christina Woytalewicz 123 21:38.4 208 Kacey Gibson 173 22:05.7