The FSCJ men's and women's cross country teams pose for a group picture at the 2024 NJCAA National Championships in Mechanicsville, Virginia
November 17, 2024

FSCJ Cross Country Races into the Top 25 at Nationals

Saturday, November 9 was an exciting day for FSCJ Cross Country as the 2024 NJCAA National Championships took place at the scenic Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Virginia. The Manta Rays proved their mettle, delivering standout performances and personal bests on the national stage.

Women's Team Performance

The day started with the women's race, where team captain Zahir Miller set a season-best time of 22:09, finishing just ahead of freshman Zoe Weaver, who achieved a personal record (PR) of 22:10. Felicity Tiptop clocked in a PR of 23:09, followed closely by Faith Harrold with a PR of 23:10, and Ava Banks at 23:15. Ashtyn Parsons and Ellie Cardozo rounded out the top seven, contributing to the team's 32nd-place finish with an average time of 22:47.

Highlights from the Men's Race

The men's race followed at 10:30 a.m., where the Manta Rays again made a strong showing. Ben Hale led the team with a time of 27:24 for the 8,000-meter course, moving up to the #2 spot on the program's all-time top 10 list. Coel Fleming followed with a PR of 28:25, earning the #8 spot on the list. Other team members also recorded personal bests: Noah Blake Looney ran a PR of 28:55, Camden Budd set a PR of 29:02, team captain Gershom Allen achieved a PR of 29:25, and Aiden Taggart crossed the line just one second later at 29:26. Together, these efforts secured the men's team a 24th-place finish with an average time of 28:38 and a pack time of 2:01.

Head Coach Jody Hale reflected on the day's achievements with pride, saying, "We thought this was going to be a rebuilding year for the men's team, but the average time was the second fastest in FSCJ history. And with most of the top 5 returning next season, I'm super excited." He also praised the women's team for their fantastic pack time, adding, "The women's team's pack time of 1:08 was fantastic and showed that they really raced as a team today. We had nine PRs today. It was a good day to be a Manta Ray."

With strong performances, personal records, and a positive outlook for the future, the NJCAA National Championships served as a perfect culmination of the Manta Rays' hard work this season. Expectations are high as the team looks forward to building on this success in the coming year.

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