Florida State men defeat all challengers at the adidas Challenge

WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, North Carolina is the home of the Great American Cross Country Festival and the NXN Southeast Regional. It's also the home of the adidas Cross Country Challenge, and on Friday evening, 16 September 2016, that meet was the second battle in the 2016 cross country campaign of the Florida State University Seminoles. The Florida State men won, topping a field of twelve teams with a score of 34. Campbell University's Lawrence Kipkoech was the fastest athlete in the men's race, covering the 6K course in 17:42, while Florida State's Harry Mulenga was a close second in 17:46. Scoring 76 points the Florida State women were third in a field of seventeen teams, placing behind conference rivals North Carolina State (40 points) and North Carolina (54 points). North Carolina junior Caroline Alcorta won the women's 5K in 16:43, and the Seminoles were led by sophomore Carmela Cardama Baez, runner-up in 16:54.


The men ran first, with the Division 1 schools starting at 5:35 PM. Somewhat strangely, the race was six kilometers. That's right, six. Not the ten kilometers that's contested at the NCAA cross country championship, or eight kilometers like the races that decide most conference championships. No, just six kilometers. It could have been shorter, though--the men raced five kilometers at the adidas Cross Country Challenge in 2011 - 2015.


Lawrence Kipkoech probably wouldn't have complained if the race was longer. The Big South Conference's 2016 male runner of the year, Kipkoech had finished eleventh in the 2015 NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country race, a 10K, and had placed tenth in the 10,000 meters at the 2016 NCAA Championships. But the Campbell University sophomore didn't have any reason to complain about the 6K, either. Kipkoech was out in front early, and just short of the halfway mark he was ten seconds ahead of the next runner, Campbell senior Amon Terer. But just three seconds behind Terer was Florida State senior Harry Mulenga.


During the second half of the race Mulenga overtook Terer then set his sights on Kipkoech. Kipkoech made it to the finish line first, though, winning in 17:42. Mulenga was second in 17:46 and Terer third in 17:58. Virginia senior Mike Marsella took fourth in 18:07, but then it was time for a Seminole attack. Florida State took the next three places, with junior Michael Callegari fifth in 18:13, frosh Steven Cross sixth in 18:15, and senior Ibrahim Ahmed seventh in 18:17.Senior Grant Nykaza wrapped up the scoring for the Seminoles, placing sixteenth in 18:22. After that Florida State had 34 points and the team title.


With 66 points each, North Carolina State and Virginia tied for second, North Carolina State led by senior Aubrey Myjer (9th, 18:18). The Campbell University Camels were fourth North Carolina State.


University Men's Team Standings, 2016 adidas Cross Country Challenge

1. Florida State, 34
2. North Carolina State, 66
3. Virginia, 66
4. Campbell, 100
5. North Carolina, 123
6. Wake Forest, 164
7. University of North Carolina-Greensboro, 220
8. East Carolina, 226
9. College of Charleston, 255
10. North Carolina A&T, 299
11. Gardner-Webb, 340
12. North Carolina Central, 383
13. Elon, NTS

Top Ten University Men, 2016 adidas Cross Country Challenge

1. 17:42.0 ~ Lawrence Kipkoech (Campbell) SO
2. 17:45.7 ~ Harry Mulenga (Florida State) SR
3. 17:57.9 ~ Amon Terer (Campbell) SR
4. 18:07.0 ~ Mike Marsella (Virginia) SR
5. 18:12.3 ~ Michael Callegari (Florida State) JR
6. 18:14.6 ~ Steven Cross (Florida State) FR
7. 18:16.5 ~ Ibrahim Ahmed (Florida State) SR
8. 18:17.2 ~ Alex Corbett (Virginia) FR
9. 18:17.3 ~ Aubrey Myjer (North Carolina State) SR
10. 18:17.5 ~ Joe Sansone (North Carolina) SR

The university women started at 6:05 PM, racing a more conventional distance of five kilometers. At the two kilometer mark North Carolina State senior Erika Kemp was setting the pace for the lead pack of ten runners, but North Carolina junior Caroline Alcorta was less than step behind. Florida State sophomore Carmela Cardama Baez was also in the middle of that lead group.


The pack disintegrated during the second half of the race. Caroline Alcorta took charge, building up a lead of over 50 meters on her way to the finish line and a 16:43 victory. The Seminoles' Cardama Baez also bolted away from the field but couldn't keep up with Alcorta, and finished second in 16:54.


North Carolina also took third when sophomore Morgan Ilse ran 17:01. But North Carolina State answered by taking the next three scoring places with senior Erika Kemp (4th, 17:03), sophomore Rachel Koon (5th, 17:09), and senior Megan Moye (6th, 17:18). Junior Bianca Bishop (14th, 17:46) and frosh Megan Vaughan (17th, 17:55) finished the scoring for North Carolina State, giving the Wolfpack 40 points and first in the team standings. Led by Alcorta's win, North Carolina placed second with 54 points.


After Cardama Baez, Florida State got scoring performances from junior Bridget Blake (11th, 17:44), frosh, Megan Mooney (18th, 17:58), senior Catherine Blaney (23rd, 18:01), and sophomore Fatema Jaffer (33rd, 18:30). Those five tallied 76 points for the Lady Seminoles, good for third place. Also racing in Florida State colors were frosh Hailey Hendry (38th, 18:45), junior Tara Rooney (39th, 18:45), senior Courtney West (40th, 18:46), junior Marianne Aguilar (44th, 18:50), and sophomore Sarah Candiano (70th, 19:40).


University Women's Team Standings, 2016 adidas Cross Country Challenge

1. North Carolina State, 40
2. North Carolina, 54
3. Florida State, 76
4. Wake Forest, 111
5. East Carolina, 165
6. College of Charleston, 169
7. Virginia, 176
8. Campbell, 215
9. High Point, 217
10. University of North Carolina-Greensboro, 289
11. North Carolina State Club, 316
12. North Carolina A&T, 342
13. Gardner-Webb, 368
14. Winston-Salem State, 394
15. Barton, 455
16. North Carolina Central, 487
17. Salem, 498
18. Elon, NTS
    Bull City Track Club, NTS
    Guilford, NTS
    William Peace, NTS
    University of North Carolina Asheville Club, NTS

Top Ten University Women, 2016 adidas Cross Country Challenge

1. 16:42.4 ~ Caroline Alcorta (North Carolina) JR
2. 16:53.7 ~ Carmela Cardama Baez (Florida State) SO
3. 17:00.2 ~ Morgan Ilse (North Carolina) SO
4. 17:02.4 ~ Erika Kemp (NC State) SR
5. 17:08.8 ~ Rachel Koon (NC State) SO
6. 17:10.3 ~ Elly Henes (Unattached)
7. 17:17.8 ~ Megan Moye (NC State) SR
8. 17:37.1 ~ Bethlehem Taye (Unattached)
9. 17:40.8 ~ Joan Maritim (Campbell) JR
10. 17:41.7 ~ Catherine Allen (Wake Forest) JR

adidas Cross Country Challenge Champions 2011 - 2016
University Men
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2011	North Carolina State, 15	14:58, Greg Dame (North Carolina State)
15 September 2012	North Carolina State, 15	14:59, Patrick Campbell (North Carolina State)
20 September 2013	North Carolina State, 20	14:47, Isaac Presson (North Carolina)
19 September 2014	North Carolina State, 20	14:30, Luis Vargas (Elon)
18 September 2015	North Carolina State, 22	14:53, Stephen Mulherin (North Carolina)
16 September 2016	Florida State, 34	17:42, Lawrence Kipkoech (Campbell)
University Women
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2011	North Carolina State, 23	17:12, Andie Cozzarelli (Unattached)
15 September 2012	North Carolina State, 24	17:01, Lianne Farber (North Carolina)
20 September 2013	Duke, 24	16:29, Juliet Bottorff (Duke)
19 September 2014	North Carolina State, 21	16:57, Joanna Thompson (North Carolina State)
18 September 2015	North Carolina State, 19	16:07, Ryen Frazier (North Carolina State)
16 September 2016	North Carolina State, 40	16:42, Caroline Alcorta (North Carolina)
The men's races were 5K from 2011 to 2015, and 6K in 2016. The women's races were 5K from 2011 to 2016.

Florida State's harriers race the trails again on 24 September 2016 at the Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. After that the Seminoles are scheduled to race at the Nortre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana on 30 September 2016. Florida State's first home meet comes next; the FSU Cross Country Invitational on 7 October 2016 on the Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross Country Course west of Tallahassee, Florida.


Links

• Complete results of the University (Div I) races at the 2016 adidas Cross Country Challenge
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dcfx7HL6CyuQHe27BlI14ZTZezWu5fFbotMI3EP-83w/pubhtml
  
  
• adidas Cross Country Challenge
  http://thexcchallenge.com/
  
  
• While the Seminoles race on the road, find a race closer to home on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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