TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Valdosta State men's and women's cross country team finished their second event of the 2023 season on Friday morning at the beautiful Apalachee Park in Tallahassee, Fla. The men's team finished 18
th out of 31 schools and the women's finished 21
st out of 35 schools with teams competing from DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA.
Graduate student
Logan Kraus once again led the way for the Blazer men's cross country team, clocking in at 25:43.4 on the 8K, which was good for 44
th place overall. Graduate student
Adam Mastrobuono and freshman
Nathan Hallar finished back-to-back in 162
nd and 163
rd with times of 27:27.1 and 27:29.1, as Hallar recorded a PR. The trio of freshman
Aaron Munger (27:51.6), Charles Pearson (28:28), and
Royce Eggert (29:03.4) all recorded PRs on Friday morning in their second event as Blazers. Florida took home first place, followed by Embry-Riddle, Florida Southern, Tampa, and South Florida to round out the top five. Fellow GSC members Auburn Montgomery and West Florida also competed in this event, finishing in ninth and 13
th place. VSU finished higher than fellow south region members Barry (26
th) and Edward Waters (30
th).
On the women's side, junior
Caitlyn Koske recorded the top time for the Blazers, clocking in at 19:46.1, good for 112
th place. Koske improved vastly throughout the race, moving up a total of 58 spots from the first mile to the finish. Junior
Katie LaCroix finished not too far behind her, finishing in 117
th place with a time of 19:49.8. She was followed by freshman
Leah John, who crossed the finish line in 196
th place with a time of 20:54.3. LSU took home first place as they had the top three finishers. They were followed by Florida, FIU, Tampa, and Miami (Fla.) to round out the top five. Auburn Montgomery and West Florida finished in 15
th and 17
th place, as they also represent the GSC in this invitational. The Blazers finished higher than fellow south region members Barry (22
nd) and Edward Waters (35
th), as they prepare for GSC Championship on October 21
st.
For all things Valdosta State cross country, visit vstateblazers.com and go to the cross country schedule page.
