Florida Gulf Coast University women’s cross country will compete outside Florida for the first time this season when the Eagles run in the Nike Town Twilight on Friday, Oct. 2, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The women’s 6-kilometer race will begin at 5 p.m. Central time, followed by the men’s 8-kilometer race at 5:45 p.m. Central time.
Junior Alise Petrova has led the women’s team in each of its first two races and enters the meet with back-to-back top-20 finishes. Petrova placed 17th at the FSU Pre-Regional and earned Atlantic Sun Conference Runner of the Week honors for the first time in her career.
Petrova, Foley lead women’s team
Petrova’s performance has set the pace for Florida Gulf Coast University during the opening portion of the season. Her 17th-place finish at the FSU Pre-Regional followed her first top-20 result of the year and gave her two top-20 finishes in two races.
Freshman Rhyen Foley also has earned conference recognition after the team’s opening meets. Foley received Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Week honors after each of Florida Gulf Coast University’s first two races.
Foley finished in the top 30 at the FSU Pre-Regional after holding 50th place at the 2,000-meter mark. She will join Petrova and the rest of the women’s team for the program’s first competition outside Florida this season.
Meet field includes 20 programs
The Nike Town Twilight field includes Anderson (Ind.), Austin Peay, Baylor’s women’s team, DePauw, Eastern Illinois, Florida Gulf Coast University, Indiana State, IU Columbus, IU East, IU Kokomo, Kentucky Christian, Parkland College, Rose-Hulman, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, SIUE, SEMO, Southern Indiana, Spring Arbor (Mich.), Texas Tech and UC San Diego.
Florida Gulf Coast University’s men’s cross country team also will compete in Terre Haute. Siyabonga Mokgothu and Victor Kemboi finished in the top 15 at the FSU Pre-Regional, while Innocent Ntwali and Evan Casterline recorded top-10 finishes at the Florida Intercollegiate Invitational.
The men’s race will cover 8 kilometers and begin at 5:45 p.m. Central time after the women’s 6K. The meet is listed as Nike XC Town Twilight on Florida Gulf Coast University’s schedule.
Race information and coverage
The Nike Town Twilight will be held Friday, Oct. 2, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. The women’s race is scheduled for 5 p.m. Central time, which is 6 p.m. Eastern time, and the men’s race will follow 45 minutes later.
Live results will be available through the Midwest Timing website. The race also will be streamed on Runner Space.
FSB Take
Petrova’s two top-20 finishes and Foley’s two ASUN Freshman of the Week awards give Florida Gulf Coast University a clear set of early-season storylines entering its first meet outside Florida. The Terre Haute field includes 20 programs, creating the next verified opportunity to measure the women’s team after its opening races in Florida.
The women’s 6K begins at 5 p.m. Central time, with Petrova and Foley among the Florida Gulf Coast University runners to watch as the Eagles move into the Nike Town Twilight.
Source: Original report