Eagle men notch first cross-country national ranking
TCC Sports Information
The Tallahassee Community College men’s cross country team snagged a piece of school history last week, earning a No. 18 ranking in the NJCAA Division II poll, released by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
This marks the Eagles’ first national ranking since the program debuted in 2016 with the launch of the women’s team.
The 2020 season is Division II’s first with the NJCAA and all one but of Florida’s 10 cross country programs took advantage of the opportunity to compete on a more level playing field from a national perspective.
Photo courtesy of Jason Hendrix
Four of the state’s five men’s programs are in the Division II poll, led by No. 4 Daytona State College. Lake-Sumter State College is tied for No. 9 and Florida State College-Jacksonville is ranked No. 20.
The Eagles’ No. 18 ranking comes on the heels of their first team-scoring event of the season, an eighth-place finish in the college division of the FSU Invitational on October 2.
Sophomore Mat Maier was the team’s top performer at Apalachee Regional Park, posting a school-record time of 27:52.9 in the 8K, 17 seconds faster than the previous record.
Sophomore Will Stratton and freshman Bryce Bass clocked times that ranked in the top 10 all-time for the Eagles.
The Eagle men and women are scheduled to host the TCC Eagle Invite at the Apalachee Regional Park this Saturday.
