Florida State University Athletics
Florida State
Joe Piane Invite
Noles Place Second at Joe Piane, Churchill Wins Bronze
9/29/2023 2:55:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Tallahassee, Fla.- The RV/No. 28 Florida State cross country teams competed in two meets on Friday.
The Seminoles were represented at the Joe Piane Invitational at the Burke Golf Course at Notre Dame and Florida State also hosted the annual FSU XC Invitational, which featured over 800 athletes at the Apalachee Regional Park.
The men's team, who received votes in the USTFCCCA poll that was released on Tuesday, knocked off three ranked squads in the 5-mile race in South Bend, Indiana. FSU went toe-to-toe with the ninth-ranked host team, Notre Dame, finishing with a total of 95 points for second place, just eight points behind the Irish (87).
The RV FSU men's team huddles before the 5-mile race at the Joe Piane Invitational
FSU finished ahead of No. 21 NC State (174), No. 27 Alabama (114) and No. 28 (Montana State).
It was the best finish for the men's team at the historic meet since 2011, when FSU also placed second.
The Seminoles were led by Daivd Mullarkey, who placed fifth with a time of 23:24.8, just ahead of Abdirizak Ibrahim, in ninth at 23:40.5.
Cooper Schroeder finished 21st (23:57.9), followed by Joe Farley in 29th (24:05.6) and Ahmed Ibrahim was the final FSU scorer in 31st (24:06.1).
"Our men did a fantastic job today," FSU men's head coach Bob Braman said. "We battled wire-to-wire with a top 10 team on their home course. Our captains, David and Cooper, ran their best collegiate races, ever. Abdirizak and Abrahim both ran tough for the team. Joe Farley did a great job as well, his race put us in position to challenge for the upset."
Alyson Churchill pushes to the front of the women's 5k at the Joe Piane Invitational
The women's team was led by Alyson Churchill, who took bronze in the 5k behind a time of 16:15.8, just shy of silver (16:15.1). It was her highest finish at the meet after placing 22nd in 2022. Churchill ran steady in third place for the entire race, finishing nine seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher.
"This was a huge race for Aly," FSU head women's coach Cody Halsey said. "She's been overlooked all year as one of the best athletes in the NCAA. Today she was finally able to show people what she can do. We are so proud of how well she executed her race place. We can't wait for her to keep showing up and forcing people to know who she is and what she can do at this level."
Bieke Schipperen followed in 33rd (17:21.1) and Anna Sentner (17:29.6) and Caitlin Wilkey (17:30.8) paced each other, finishing 45th and 46th respectively. Sydney Nowicki rounded out the scoring for FSU, placing 55th at 17:37.9.
"Outside of Caitlin and Aly this was a completely new team out there today," Halsey added. "Including three true freshmen. This was the most competitive meet in their career thus far. That's a learning experience. We were proud of the grit and tenacity, but we have some work to do. I think we learned a lot and I know we are all looking forward to putting that into play at Wisconsin."
Dani Thompson led the Noles at the FSU XC Invitational
Out at the ARP in Tallahassee, the Seminoles also raced in the FSU XC Invitational.
In the women's 5k, Dani Thompson led Florida State finishing 28th (18:21.9), followed by Lily Moore in 33rd (18:30.9), Lauren Bing in 42nd (18:42.8), Rachel Wheatley 75th (19:08.6), and Annika Pfaff 82nd (19:17.7).
The top five runners scored 241 points, placing FSU seventh.
Lucas Bouquot represents FSU in the men's 8K
Lucas Bouquot participated in in the men's 8k, crossing the line at 25:26.1, placing 22nd.
FSU will compete at the Alabama Invitational and the Nuttycombe Invitational in two weeks on Oct.13.
For more information on Florida State cross country, follow Twitter @FSU_Track and Instagram @FSU_Track.
Players Mentioned
