TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Competing against a deep field of NCAA Division I, II, and NAIA programs, the Southeastern Men's Cross Country team finished 25th overall at the FSU Invitational Friday morning at Apalachee Regional Park. The Fire used a tight pack effort to secure their position while lining up against several familiar NAIA rivals.
Among NAIA schools in attendance, SEU placed fifth of seven. Taylor was the top finisher at the meet, taking eighth overall with 249 points. SCAD Savannah placed 18th with 483 points, while Ave Maria was 15th at 468. Mobile crossed just ahead of SEU in 22nd with 524 points, and the Fire followed in 25th with 635 points. Warner (31st) and New College of Florida (34th) rounded out the NAIA contingent.
The Fire were led by
Jack Brooks, who turned in a 26:53.3 performance to finish 92nd overall.
Derek Robinson followed in 27:48.4 for 129th, with freshman
Kaleb Mellott close behind at 27:51.7 in 131st.
Tobias Dickerson and
Spencer Louis finished in 28:06.9 and 28:07.9, respectively, closing out the scoring for SEU in the 140s. Southeastern's top five ran within one minute and 14 seconds of each other, demonstrating solid pack running on the challenging 8K course.
Overall, Southeastern averaged 27:45 per runner, narrowly trailing Mobile and SCAD Savannah in the team standings but finishing ahead of conference rivals Warner and New College of Florida. The meet provided a valuable measuring stick against both top-tier collegiate programs and the NAIA competition the Fire will see again later this fall.
The Fire return to action Friday, October 3, at the Florida Runners Invitational hosted at Holloway Park in Lakeland, with the men's race set to go off at 8:15 a.m.
Â
Your team. Your news. Your Fire.
Get the inside scoop on SEU Athletics with game previews, recaps, highlights, and more — all delivered right to your inbox. Stay connected and never miss a moment!
Join the Newsletter
Â
