Daytona State duo Andy Martinez and Harleigh Bilz Crist grab wins in FJCAA Region 8 Meet

Friday morning, 29 October 2021, marked the sixth time that Tallahasse, Florda's Apalachee Regional Park was the site of the FJCAA Region 8 Cross-Country Championship. The date also marked the second time as Region 8 champions for Daytona State harriers Andy Martinez and Harleigh Bilz Crist. Martinez won the men's 8K in a meet record 25:51; Crist took first in the women's 5K with a 19:38--also a meet record. Daytona State took the men's team title with 21 points, and Pasco-Hernando State nabbed the women's title with 53 points.

Andy Martinez

The Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course was familiar territory for Andy Martinez.


"I've been running here since my sophomore year in high school," said Martinez, who raced cross-country with the Viera High Hawks from 2016 to 2018. "I run a PR every time I race here. Except for today."


In the Region 8 men's 8K, Martinez hung back for much of the race, pacing his Falcon teammate, Sebastian Hernandez. After five kilometers, Hernandez charged ahead and went on to win by 150 meters in 25:51. Leo Rutledge of Tallahassee Community College overtook Hernandez during the final kilometer of the race, taking second in 26:22. Hernandez placed third in 26:34.

Men's Team Champs, Daytona State

Adolfo Castro of Daytona State was fourth in 26:57. The remaining Falcon scorers were Christian Ruocco (6th, 27:06) and Jerdary Ayala (7th, 27:12). With seven runners in the top ten, Daytona State had 21 points and the Region 8 title.


Lake Sumter State placed second with 57 points, led by the fifth place, 27:00 performance of Nicholas Atkinson. Rutledge and his Tallahassee Community College teammates scored 81 points to take third.

Top Seven Men

Men's Team Standings, 2021 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. Daytona State, 21
2. Lake Sumter State, 57
3. Tallahassee Community, 81
4. Seminole State, 102
5. Florida State Jacksonville, 110

Top Ten Men, 2021 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. 25:50.3, Andy Martinez (Daytona State) SO
2. 26:21.9, Leo Rutledge (Tallahassee Community) FR
3. 26:33.2, Sebastian Hernandez (Daytona State) FR
4. 26:56.4, Adolfo Castro (Daytona State) FR
5. 26:59.4, Nicholas Atkinson (Lake Sumter State) SO
6. 27:05.9, Christian Ruocco (Daytona State) FR
7. 27:11.2, Jerdary Ayala (Daytona State) FR
8. 27:16.2, Mitchell Curtis (Daytona State) FR
9. 27:26.0, Colton Berquist (Lake Sumter State) FR
10. 27:38.5, Richard Lebron (Daytona State) FR

Ten years earlier, Harleigh Bilz Crist had run 21:36 on the Apalachee Regional Park course as a Tavares High junior. As a Daytona State athlete, more mature and better trained, she had left her high school marks far behind. She was leaving the competition far behind as well in the Region 8 women's 5K--over 200 meters behind.

Harleigh Bilz Crist

"I took the lead just after the mile mark," recalled Bilz Crist. "Probably around two kilometers."


There were no challengers after that. Bilz Crist ran alone for the next three kilometers, a widening gap in her wake. Her winning time, 19:38, broke the women's meet record of 19:45, set at the 2018 Region 8 Championship by Olivia D'Angelo of Pasco-Hernando State.

Top Seven Women

Lake Sumter State sophomore Kyja Williams overtook Daytona State frosh Juliet St Angelo with 200 meters left in the race to take second in 20:27. St Angelo placed third in 20:35.


Pasco-Hernando State frosh Kylie Kanaar finished fourth in 20:55. After winning the Region 8 team title four times in a row, Pasco-Hernando had placed second to Daytona State in 2020. Looking to regain the top spot, the Bobcats put three runners in the top ten--Kanaar joined by Katerina Dobkowski (6th, 21:13) and Gabrielle Marshall (8th, 21:16). Hayley Schaefer (14th, 21:53) and Jessica Perez (23rd, 22:42) also scored for the Bobcats, giving the Pasco-Hernando women 46 points and first place.

Women's Team Champs, Pasco-Hernando State

Daytona State was second with 67 points. Florida Gateway College placed third with 77 points. Gateway's top runner was Ariel Anderson, fifth in 21:07.


Women's Team Standings, 2021 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. Pasco-Hernando State, 53
2. Daytona State, 67
3. Florida Gateway, 77
4. South Florida State, 87
5. Lake Sumter State, 112
6. Florida State Jacksonville, 123
7. Pensacola State, 181
8. Tallahassee Community, 195

Top Ten Women, 2021 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. 19:37.3, Harleigh Bilz Crist (Daytona State) SO
2. 20:26.9, Kyja Williams (Lake Sumter State) SO
3. 20:34.1, Juliet St Angelo (Daytona State) FR
4. 20:54.2, Kylie Kanaar (Pasco-Hernando State) FR
5. 21:06.5, Ariel Anderson (Florida Gateway) FR
6. 21:12.5, Katerina Dobkowski (Pasco-Hernando State)
7. 21:13.2, Francesca Chillemi (South Florida State) SO
8. 21:16.0, Gabrielle Marshall (Pasco-Hernando State)
9. 21:23.3, Kayla DesMartin (Florida Gateway) FR
10. 21:30.6, Kyla DesMartin (Florida Gateway) FR

NJCAA Region 8 Cross-Country Champions, 2016 - 2021
Women
Date	Winning Teams	Winning Athletes
4 November 2016	Pasco-Hernando State, 33 points	20:29, Charlene Sanchez (Pasco-Hernando State) SO
28 October 2017	Pasco-Hernando State, 25	20:07, Meagan Giddens (Tallahassee Community) SO
26 October 2018	Pasco-Hernando State, 21	19:45, Olivia D'Angelo (Pasco-Hernando State) FR
25 October 2019	Pasco-Hernando State, 35	19:53, Olivia D'Angelo (Pasco-Hernando State) SO
30 October 2020	Daytona State College, 36	20:18, Harleigh Bilz Crist (Daytona State) FR
29 October 2021	Pasco-Hernando State, 53	19:38, Harleigh Bilz Crist (Daytona State) SO
Men
Date	Winning Teams	Winning Athletes
26 October 2018	Daytona State, 19	26:42, Hillary Kandle (Seminole State)
25 October 2019	Seminole State, 26	27:22, Yassin Raffay (Seminole State)
30 October 2020	Daytona State, 28	26:02, Andy Martinez (Daytona State) FR
29 October 2021	Daytona State, 21	25:51, Andy Martinez (Daytona State) SO

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 NJCAA Region 8 / FCSAA Cross-Country Championship
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT5XhJCC_oxzyyrI7Sz_66E9wo7V_uqjY8UPvIcbZAW5D8IgwOzk_FniP0yU4sYjBazRG27wdvYwxNt/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of the 2021 NJCAA Region 8 / FCSAA Cross-Country Championship
  
  • Men: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10118529714320813
    
  • Women: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10118532423731133
    
  
  
• 2017 story, “Meagan Giddens claims TCC's first state cross-country title”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/10/fcsaa-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Sanchez and the Conquistadors conquer the FCSAA at Apalachee Regional Park”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/11/fcsaa-2016.html
  
  
• 5K course map, Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course
  https://app.box.com/s/jb72g5eyqvzm98qc8yx620owec8cd9zg
  
  
• Find your next race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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