TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- The Ave Maria University cross country teams got a preview of the NAIA National Championships on Saturday morning, as the Gyrenes competed at the NAIA Pre-Nationals in Tallahassee. The event was run at the Apalachee Regional Park in the Florida capital city, which will also serve as the host site for the national championship competition this November.
The men raced first on Saturday morning, with the Gyrenes placing sixth in a field of ten teams, albeit second among the five Sun Conference schools on site. Adam Paga led the Ave Maria contingent, recording a top-25 finish among 94 runners at 28:07.60. Adam's younger brother Samuel Paga came in just over 15 seconds later, placing in the top 30 at 28:24.80, while Jorge Jimenez made his season debut with a time of 28:42.30 to place third among Gyrene runners.
Christopher Hermann was the fourth Gyrene finisher, crossing the finish line at 29:06.60. The Ave Maria team score was rounded out by John Halvorsen, who checked in at 29:51.00. The winning time was posted by unattached runner Joseph Visconti, who crossed the finish line at 25:52.00, more than 15 seconds faster than the runner-up. Powered by the second and third place finishers, NCAA Division II Valdosta State claimed the team title.
Theresa Long continued her stretch of strong runs for the Gyrenes, placing sixth in a competitive field. Long broke the 19-minute mark for the second time in her AMU career, finishing the 5k course in 18:56.00. The run was just the eleventh sub-19 minute run in program history, and Long is one of just three runners to accomplish the feat. Only two other NAIA runners in the field finished ahead of Long, with the field trailing overall winner Madlen Kappeler of FAU at 18:23.60.
Felicity Foxhoven and Lily Burke followed Long across the finish line, crossing the line within six seconds of one another; Foxhoven at 20:14.30 and Burke at 20:20.10. Ave Maria's team score was completed by the efforts of Gabrielle Sjostedt and Lillian Brodeur. Sjostedt completed the Tallahassee course in 21:22.00, while Brodeur crossed the finish line with a time of 21:37.30. In the team competition, FAU inched past Cumberlands by three points to claim the title.
The Gyrenes will be back on the course next weekend, with another field featuring high-level competition awaiting them. Ave Maria will run at the St. Leo Abbey Invitational, hosted by Saint Leo University. The teams will take to the starting line early Saturday morning for the third race of the 2022 season.
