Florida State University Athletics
Florida State
FSU XC Invite
Cross Country Returns Home for FSU XC Invite
10/8/2026 12:38:00 PM | Cross Country, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
TALLAHASSEE –The Florida State cross country teams will host the FSU XC Invitational on Friday at Apalachee Regional Park, which will serve as the Seminole Heritage event.
The men's 8k will take place at 7:40 a.m., with the women's 6k race to follow at approximately 8:20 a.m. Admission and parking are free for all participating teams and spectators. Fans can follow the meet results through Pttiming FSU XC Invite.
There will be 23 combined teams on Friday, with 10 of those being based in Florida which includes crosstown opponent, Florida A&M.
The Seminoles competed at ARP on September 18 to begin the season with the pre-regional meet where both programs swept the team and individual titles, marking the first time since 2017 that the Seminoles accomplished the feat. FSU was led by Rylee Blade and Hudson Betts who both picked up their first career win.
Florida State will have six runners in both the women's and men's fields. The women's 6k lineup includes Ella Menke, Avery Evans Cahoon, Maggie Bartlow, Ella Pasko, Lilly Ascone and Olivia Niewald who all opened their season at the pre-regional meet. The men's 8k will include Parker Adams, Wyatt Falkowski, Alan Gallardo Lopez, Josh Hicks, Gino Palazzolo and Garrett Stickley.
At the last outing, Florida State hit the road for the first time this season after competing at the Gans Creek Classic on September 25 in Columbia where both teams set program records on the course. The women's team finished third, while the men placed seventh.
The women were led by Bieke Schipperen who finished 14th in a field of 247 student-athletes. The Netherlands native clocked a time of 19:54.5. Blade followed in 21st at 20:09.6, while Nicole Dinan crossed the line 30th with a career-best finish and a lifetime-best of 20:22.4. Freshman Madie King continued to show her perseverance, placing 39th with a personal best at 20:31.1. Bella Griener rounded out the Seminoles' scoring with a career best time of 20:40.6.
On the men's side, the top five runners recorded a lifetime best. Kaden Levings led the way in 16th with a time of 23:07.2. Isaac Hirshman Chandler returned to the lineup, placing 32nd at 23:29.5 while Aidan Ryan was the third Seminole to cross the line in 53rd at 23:53.8. Finn Thomas recorded a top-100 finish in 71st with a time of 24:01.2. Graham Myers rounded out the score for the Noles in 86th at 24:08.8.
Following Friday's meet, the team will travel to the highly anticipated pre-national meet on October 16 in Terra Haute, Indiana, to get a glimpse of the National Championship course that will take place on November 13.
Follow Florida State cross country on X and Instagram (FSU_Track).
