Evan Casterline and Morgan Harvill star in the FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

The FCSAA first held its cross-country championship meet at Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park in 2016. Only women raced that year, and four schools were represented.


Eight years later at Apalachee Regional Park, you could see another FCSAA Cross-Country Championship on Friday morning, 25 October 2024. There was a women's 5K and a men's 8K. Of 28 Florida schools eligible for FCSAA membership, thirteen were represented at the championship.


So we're almost halfway there, no?

Evan Casterline

Daytona State would welcome some additional competition. The Falcons scored a near-perfect winning score of 19 points in the men's 8K, and sophomore Falcon Evan Casterline was the first individual finisher, running 26:01. In the women's 5K, the Seminole State Raiders took first with 35 points, with Raider frosh Morgan Harvill winning the race in 19:23.


The men set out at 8:00 AM on a foggy 8K course at ARPXC. Eastern Florida sophomore Adem Bouldjadj jumped out front almost immediately. Bouldjadj continued to lead for nearly five kilometers, then abruptly stopped. His race was over; he only reached the finish line in a medical cart.

Joel Jean, Zeniel Lizardo, Nicholas Pugh, Pedro Zapata

This left Daytona State's Evan Casterline in the lead. Casterline had moved into second about 800 meters into the race, and when Bouldadj bailed, Casterline was 70 meters ahead of the rest of the field. The Falcon sophomore nearly doubled that lead during the remaining three kilometers of racing. Casterline had finished runner-up in the 2023 FCSAA race, but he wasn't going to be second best in 2024. He crossed the line first in 26:01, the 2024 FCSAA men's cross-country champion. Casterline was also the first NJCAA Division 2 athlete in the 8K.


Another Daytona State sophomore, Joel Jean, took second in 26:28. Daytona State frosh Nicholas Pugh was third in 26:37. Yet another Falcon, sophomore Pedro Zapata, placed fourth in 26:43. Eastern Florida frosh Morgan Vici was the first Division 1 athlete in the race, fifth overall in 27:01.

Morgan Vici and Troy Winkler

Daytona State sophomore Zeniel Lizardo completed the scoring for the Falcons, coming in ninth in 27:12. That gave Daytona State a mathematically unbeatable 19 points and first place in the FCSAA. The Falcons were also the top Division 2 team with 18 points.

Eastern Florida scored 75 points, placing second in the FCSAA standings. Eastern Florida was the top men's Division 1 team that morning, scoring 23 points in Division 1 competition. Seminole State was third overall and second in Division 1, socring 93 points in combined scoring and 35 in Division 1. The top Raider finisher was frosh Elijah Palmer, eleventh in 27:34.


Men's Team Standings, 2024 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. Daytona State, 19
2. Eastern Florida, 75
3. Seminole State, 93
4. Pasco-Hernando State, 104
5. Lake-Sumter State, 129
6. Florida State - Jacksonville, 157
7. Florida Gateway, 182

Top Ten Men, 2024 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. 26:00.70, Evan Casterline (Daytona State) SO
2. 26:27.30, Joel Jean (Daytona State) SO
3. 26:36.50, Nicholas Pugh (Daytona State) FR
4. 26:42.70, Pedro Zapata (Daytona State) SO
5. 27:00.90, Morgan Vici (Eastern Florida) FR
6. 27:03.10, Troy Winkler (Florida Gateway) FR
7. 27:05.70, Jaime Candelaria (Pasco-Hernando State) SO
8. 27:10.70, Dylan Powell (Pasco-Hernando State) FR
9. 27:11.60, Zeniel Lizardo (Daytona State) SO
10. 27:26.60, Hayden Herndon (Daytona State) FR

The women's 5K started at 9:00 AM, an hour after the start of the men's race. Seminole State frosh Morgan Harvill dashed out to an early lead, but she was overtaken during the second kilometer by two Pasco-Hernando State athletes--frosh Emelyn Lacour and sophomore Nathalia Mallo. Lacour set a strong pace, and by the end of the third kilometer she had opened a gap on Mallo and Harvill.

Morgan Harvill

But Harvill came back. During the second half of the race she closed Lacour's gap, moved into first, then started building her own lead. Harvill was 50 meters ahead at the top of the Wall, half a kilometer from the finish, and running strong. She crossed the finish line with an 80-meter lead in 19:23, the 2024 FCSAA women's cross-country champion.


Lacour came home second in 19:42. Mallo was third in 20:04.

Emelyn Lacour

Harvill's Seminole State teammate, frosh Rachel Horsford, took fourth in 20:49. Seminole State had two more scorers in the top ten, with sophomore Lilliana Flores ninth in 21:03 and frosh Darcy Cernansky tenth in 21:15. A few steps behind Cernansky, Seminole State frosh Nina Rodriguez was eleventh in 21:17. With five scorers home, Seminole State has 35 points, the best total of the twelve teams in the race. The Raiders were also the top Division 1 team in the race, scoring 24 points against the 33 put up by D1 rival Eastern Florida.


Pasco-Hernando State took second with 61 points. PHS was also the top women's team in Division 2 with 35 points. Eastern Florida was third in the overall FCSAA standings with 88 points.

Liliana Flores, Darcy Cernansky, Nina Rodriguez, Rachel Horsford

Next on the post-season slate for the FCSAA cross-country teams is the 2024 Cross-Country Championship, the National Meet at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia.


The 2024 NJCAA Region 8 / FCSAA Cross-Country Championship races were timed and scored by Xpress Timing.


Women's Team Standings, 2024 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. Seminole State, 35
2. Pasco-Hernando State, 61
3. Eastern Florida, 88
4. Daytona State, 96
5. Gulf Coast State, 127
6. Florida Gateway, 157
7. South Florida State, 168
8. Central Florida, 227
9. Florida State - Jacksonville, 239
10. Lake-Sumter State, 259
11. Pensacola State, 311
12. Tallahassee CC, 331
13. Chipola, NTS

Top Ten Women, 2024 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

1. 19:22.03, Morgan Harvill (Seminole State) FR
2. 19:41.84, Emelyn Lacour (Pasco-Hernando State) FR
3. 20:03.11, Nathalia Mallo (Pasco-Hernando State) SO
4. 20:48.55, Rachel Horsford (Seminole State) FR
5. 20:51.33, Amelia Shephard (Eastern Florida) FR
6. 20:55.02, Marlie Gonzalez (Eastern Florida) FR
7. 20:56.53, Abigail Candler (Florida Gateway) FR
8. 20:57.64, Rori Pandolfini (Eastern Florida) SO
9. 21:02.61, Liliana Flores (Seminole State) SO
10. 21:14.78, Darcy Cernansky (Seminole State) FR

NJCAA Region 8 Cross-Country Champions, 2016 - 2024
Women
Date	Div	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
28 October 2022	1	Eastern Florida, 27	20:14, Carly Holadia (Seminole State) FR
	2	Pasco-Hernando State, 31	19:26, Shannon Jones (Daytona State) FR
24 October 2023	1	Eastern Florida, 27	19:34, Rachel Starr (Eastern Florida) FR
	2	Daytona State, 25	18:47, Giovana Meade (Daytona State) SO
25 October 2024	1	Seminole State, 24	19:23, Morgan Harvill (Seminole State) FR
	2	Pasco-Hernando State, 35	19:42, Emelyn Lacour (Pasco-Hernando State) FR
Men
Date	Div	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
28 October 2022	1	Eastern Florida, 20	26:39, Dayton Law (Eastern Florida) FR
	2	Daytona State, 21	25:35, Sebastian Hernandez (Daytona State) SO
24 October 2023	1	Eastern Florida, 18	26:18, Dayton Law (Eastern Florida) FR
	2	Daytona State, 15	26:04, Jared Falchook (Daytona State) SO
25 October 2024	1	Eastern Florida, 23	27:01, Morgan Vici (Eastern Florida) FR
	2	Daytona State, 18	26:01, Evan Casterline (Daytona State) SO

Links

• Results of the 2024 NJCAA Region 8 / FCSAA Cross-Country Championship
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQk2XY2sxvBPp85qTUXxLyXg3MaF3_sA24EBSdrFugfBWakbMvtmVcxmToX5a02x8J8zmjhWTXMB-f1/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2024 NJCAA Region 8 / FCSAA Cross-Country Championship
  
  • Men: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10123230627508103
    
  • Women: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10123248157757343
    
  
  
• 2021 story, “Daytona State duo Andy Martinez and Harleigh Bilz Crist grab wins in FJCAA Region 8 Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/10/fcsaa-2021.html
  
  
• 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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