Jeanna Prisco signs with the TCC Eagles

On Tuesday afternoon, 17 May 2016, Jeanne Prisco signed a national letter of intent to compete in cross country for the Tallahassee Community College Eagles. As historical documents go, the letter wasn't in the same class as the Mayflower Compact, the Magna Carta, or the Declaration of Independence. Still, it's a significant scrap of paper in the history of running in the Big Bend, because Prisco is the first athlete ever to commit to running cross country at Tallahassee Community College. The Eagles are preparing to field a women's squad during the fall of 2016 under Coach Gary Droze, TCC's first team of harriers and its first cross-country coach.

Jeanna Prisco

Tallahassee Community College already has men's teams in baseball and basketball and women's teams in basketball and softball, but the school has never participated in either track or cross country. The two running sports used to be widespread in the Florida junior college system, with teams scattered across the state from Pensacola Junior College to Miami Dade Community College during the 1970s and 1980s. The track at Sante Fe College is a relic of that era. Since then, though, track and field disappeared entirely from Florida junior colleges. Cross country only fared slightly better. In 2014 only Chipola and Pasco-Hernando State participated in women's cross country, while no Florida College System Activities Association school fielded a men's team.


In 2015, though, South Florida State added a women's team under Coach Krista Schult. The newcomers concluded their inaugural season by placing 25th at the NJCAA championships, where Pasco-Hernando placed 31st. When the Tallahassee Community College Eagles join the mix in 2016, there will be four teams in Florida competing in women's cross country. Jeanna Prisco is the first runner to join the new Eagles team.

Jeanna Prisco ready to sign with TCC

"I've been running my whole life, but not competitively," said Prisco. "I started running competitively my senior year."


That was Prisco's senior year at Wakulla High School, where she raced with the school's cross country team. Prisco ran as high as fourth on the team that season, a season that saw the Wakulla girls place twentieth in the State Final. After graduating from high school, Prisco entered Tallahassee Community College while continuing to race on the roads both in her hometown of Sopchoppy and as far afield as South Georgia, and in distances up to the half marathon. Prisco has run both the Bainbridge Half Marathon and Tallahassee's Tails and Trail Half Marathon, which could be important because the NJCAA follows up its cross country national championship meet a week later with a half marathon national championship. This year the This year's NJCAA cross country championships is slated for 12 November 2016 on the Prairie Hills Golf Course in El Dorado, Kansas while the half marathon championship will take place on 19 November 2016 on the Hugh Brannon Backcountry Trail in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Wakulla Cross Country Love

In the more immediate future, though, Prisco will be training for the upcoming season. "I'll be running with [Wakulla High's] Coach Hoover and intervals with Coach Droze and running on my own. I don't plan to compete in any races this summer."


And beyond that?


"I'm going to keep running," said Prisco. "I plan to do it for the rest of my life."


There are also appears to be a future for men's cross country at Tallahassee Community College.


"I'm very hopeful that maybe even within a year we'll be able to add a male team," said Rob Chaney, Tallahassee Community College Athletic Director.


That's something for all prep runners in the Big Bend to keep in mind.


Links

• Tallahassee Community College Eagles Athletics
  http://www.tcceagles.com/
  
  
• Find an upcoming race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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