The Georgia Gwinnett College men's cross country team recorded a strong fifth-place finish in the competitive University of North Georgia XC Invitational on Friday evening in Oakwood, Georgia.
RESULTS
Consistent performances led the Grizzlies in their second meet during the program's inaugural season. The team had four top-25 individual finishes to tally 115 points in a meet that featured five NCAA Division II schools and two Division III institutions. GGC was the highest NAIA team finisher.
Friday's race marked an increase in distance as the runners covered eight kilometers on a flat and fast course that has hosted multiple Peach Belt Conference Championships and Division II Southeast Regional meets.
Freshman
Osman Tercero-Villatoro paced the team with an 18th-place finish in 31:01.8. Classmate
Joshua Baez Soto followed closely behind in 22nd place with a time of 32:01.8.
Five freshmen were the Grizzlies next finishers:
Seth Hataway, 24th;
Isaiah Hines, 25th;
Kian Brown, 32nd;
Vasili Khudoleyev, 39th; and
Talib Simpson, 41st.
"Josh and I were pacing each other. We would speed up at different times to push each other. We just kept getting faster as the race went along. It made us a definite 30 to 40 seconds faster (than other runners)," said Hataway.
The team had strong motivational support from other GGC teams and athletic staff members.
"The track was perfect and it was a phenomenal performance by the team. We had so many Grizzlies that came out and cheered for us. That support made us run just a little faster and harder," said Khudoleyev.
Coach's Corner
"It was super impressive team and individual performances for our second ever race. It was great to see the runners come together as a team and really push each other. The coaching staff has been focused on having the runners staying in packs, because the closer you're to your teammates, the harder it pushes yourself along the race," said Interim Head Coach
Kat Ihlenburg.
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to compete in the Brewton-Parker Christian University Invitational on Friday, September 25, in Mount Vernon, Georgia, starting at 5 p.m.
