Showing posts with label Florida State College. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida State College. Show all posts

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Men's cross-country returns to Florida State College-Jacksonville

Florida State College at Jacksonville will field a men's cross-country team in 2018.


"Our scholarships are limited, but we are excited as we believe this is a great sport to add for the students at FSCJ and the region," stated FSCJ Director of Athletics Ginny Alexander. "We have approximately 7-8 students wanting to run, so this looks very promising. Coach Jody Hale will coach both MCX and WCX."


The return of men's cross-country to FSCJ is important in itself, but it also impacts the sport statewide. The FSCJ BlueWave brings the number of men's junior college programs in Florida to four, the threshold for holding a state championship race. Florida's junior college women have been competing at the FJCAA Region 8 / FCSAA championship meet since 2016, racing five kilometers. On Friday, 26 October 2018 the men be at the meet as well. The 2018 state championship will be held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida, and the men will race eight kilometers.


Tallahassee Community College spearheaded the restoration of men's cross-country in Florida's junior colleges, adding a men's team in 2017. Daytona State College has already announced plans to field a men's team in 2018, as has Seminole State College.

In 2017, five Florida colleges competed in women's cross-country--Chipola College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Pasco-Hernando State College, South Florida State College, and Tallahassee Community College. Three more schools have plans to field women's teams in 2018--Florida Gateway College, Daytona State College, and Seminole State College.


In the past, FSCJ men's cross-country built a strong record over the years. The school first sent a men's team to the national championships in 1967. The team placed ninth, the first of four straight top-ten showings for FSCJ from 1967 to 1970. That run included a fourth-place performance in 1969, the best finish for a men's team in FSCJ history. The FSCJ men also placed eleventh in 1974, nineteenth in 1983, sixteenth in 1985, tenth in 1986, and tenth in 1987. From 2018 forward, the BlueWave's harriers will get to build on that tradition.


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Posted by Herb Wills at 5:46 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, June 4, 2017

Florida State College at Jacksonville restores women's cross-country

The women's cross-country squads of Chipola College, Pasco-Hernando State, South Florida State, and Tallahassee Community College will have company in the Florida College System Activity Association during the 2017 season. Florida State College at Jacksonville announced on 1 June 2017 that the school will compete in women's cross-country.


FSCJ is not so much adding the sport as reinstating it. Women's cross-country had previously been a part of the school's athletic offerings back when it was known as Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Nor did the school just dabble in cross-country.

2016 FCSAA Women's Cross-Country Meet
2016 FCSAA Cross-Country Championship

“Women’s Cross Country is a great addition to the Athletic Department at FSCJ,” said FSCJ Director of Athletics Ginny Alexander in a press release. “Not only is the sport of running popular in the Jacksonville area, it is the only sport FSCJ has won a National Championship in.”


Indeed, FSCJ won two NJCAA National Championships in cross country, one in 1982 and another in 1983, back when the school was known as Florida Junior College at Jacksonville. During the 1980s that name changed to Florida Community College at Jacksonville. Meanwhile the school continued to field top-ten squads at the NJCAA National Cross-Country Championships, placing fourth in 1984, seventh in 1985, sixth in 1986, fourth in 1987, seventh in 1988, ninth in 1989, and eighth in 1990. FCCJ's Sylvia Sanchez won the individual title at the 1989 national championship meet, running the five-kilometer course in 17:12 and finishing 25 seconds ahead of the runner-up.


FCSJ's announcement continues the resurgence of women's cross-country in Florida. In 2014, only Chipola College and Pasco-Hernando State competed in the sport, but South Florida State added cross-country in 2015. Tallahassee Community College started running women's cross-country in 2016, and with four teams in the state it was possible to hold the first FCSAA State Cross-Country Championship Meet. The Pasco-Hernando Conquistadors won that inaugural meet at Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park on 4 November 2016. With the Florida State College BlueWave poised to field a team, there are now five FCSAA women's cross-country programs.


And counting.


The 2017 FCSAA State Cross-Country Championship is scheduled for Saturday morning, 28 October 2017, at Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State College at Jacksonville is searching for a coach and athletes for the 2017 cross-country season.


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Posted by Herb Wills at 2:23 PM 0 comments
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