Florida State cross country teams collected their first team wins of the season Friday evening at the UCF Invite in Orlando, Florida. The women's team scored 18 points in the 5K, while the men won with 15 points in the 5K.
"I'm so excited for the future of our program," Cody Halsey, FSU women's head coach, said. "This was a massive step in the right direction. It was fantastic to see so many new faces in our uniform go out there and leave it on the course. Lilly (Quinn) and Bieke (Schipperen) set the tone immediately, which led the way for 10 girls to finish in the top 15. I couldn't be more proud of the way they competed."
Freshman Lily Quinn stole the show, crossing the finish line at 17:16.4 in first place. Bieke Schipperen was the second Seminole across the line with a time of 17:30.6. Addison Boyer placed fifth in her first collegiate race with 18:22.2. Anna Senter followed in sixth at 18:30.4.
Brooke Hooper made her Seminole debut, placing seventh with a time of 18:32.9. Dani Thompson finished behind Hooper in 10th with a time of 18:38.0.
Jane Eiselstein crossed the line in 11th at 18:41.4. Olivia Niewald finished in 12th at 18:45.4, followed by Avery Cahoon in 13th (18:51.0), Ansley Kelly in 14th (18:54.8).
Evie McIver took the final top 20 spot in 18th at 19:00.1. Lindy White opened her season placing 25th at 19:11.3, followed by Elle Menke h in 26th at 19:13.5. Ava Povich took the 26th with a time of 19:13.5. Lily Moore rounded out the evening for the Noles on the 29th with a time of 19:22.8.
The men took the top three spots, with Kidus Misgina leading the pack with a winning time of 14:32.4. Ahmed Ibrahim was the runner-up at 14.33.3. Zach Leachman was the third Nole to score, crossing the line at 14:51.1.
Matthew Neill crossed the finish line in the fifth spot at 15:01.3. Joe Farley finished in sixth at 15:08.5 and Zach Cloud in seventh (15:11.6). Coleman Cronk opened his junior season placing 10th at 15:27.3. Michael Toppi finished in the top 20, placing 13th with a time of 15:35.0. Patrick Donnelly followed in 14th at 15:37.2. Lucas Bouquot finished in 15th posting a time of 15:38.5.
Wynne Thomas took 24th at 15:51.7, while Tanner Simonds followed in 36th (16:31.4.) to conclude the meet.
"The men executed a great team performance tonight and showed a glimpse of the fitness they've accrued over our last training block," assistant coach Ian Frazier said. "I'm impressed with how they controlled the race from start to finish and did so side by side with their teammates. This effort should give us the confidence heading into the weeks to come."
The teams will split on Sept. 27 as the Noles will host the FSU XC Invitational at the Apalachee Regional Park. A group will also head north to Madison, Wisconsin to compete at the NuttyCombe Invite.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State cross country wins UCF Invite on Friday
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