FIT Cross Country Rolls Out Fall Schedule
By Florida Tech // July 30, 2013
cross country begins Friday Sept. 6
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech’s men’s and women’s cross country schedule begins Friday, Sept. 6 with the South Florida Invitational in Tampa, Fla.
The race is the first of five regular-season meets on the Panthers’ fall schedule.
“The team has a lot of new faces,” head coach Pete Mazzone said.
“We don’t have our first race this year until Sept. 6. It’s a week later than normal, which gives us more time to get to know each other and to train. The schedule is set up so that we have some good races at the very beginning, and then we have time in between. Those weeks in between are when we will work on our conditioning and our training a little bit more, so we’re ready for the next race.”
After the Panthers open up, they will travel to Gainesville, Fla. for the Mountain Dew Invitational on Sept. 14. They will then participate in the University of Tampa Pre-Regional Sept. 27 at Dover Trails.
FIT will compete in one more race, the Florida State Invitational on Oct. 11, before it begins the championship portion of its schedule.
“The team has a lot of new faces. We don’t have our first race this year until Sept. 6. It’s a week later than normal, which gives us more time to get to know each other and to train. The schedule is set up so that we have some good races at the very beginning, and then we have time in between. Those weeks in between are when we will work on our conditioning and our training a little bit more, so we’re ready for the next race.” – Pete Mazzone
THE SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Hosting the Sunshine State Conference Championship this fall will be Saint Leo on Oct. 26. Two weeks later on Nov. 9, the NCAA Division II South Region Championship will occur in Tampa.
Qualifying teams from the regional will race in the NCAA Division II National Championship on Nov. 23 in Spokane, Wash.
“Saint Leo has a challenging course with hills,” Mazzone said. “The regional championship this year is in Tampa. It doesn’t have many hills, just little inclines, and we’re very accustomed to that course. We’re looking forward to it.”
The men return six runners from last year’s team, which earned its first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship appearance in program history: David Boiywo, Jordan Halleib, Jacob Jansen, Justin McMaster, Daniel Schultz and Ezekiel Zauner. Boiywo, a rising senior, was named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region and All-Sunshine State Conference one season ago.
The women welcome back three runners from the 2012 squad, Chelsea Forgenie, Dorian Magee and Ellyn Willse. Forgenie along with Halleib and McMaster were named USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic following last season.
This fall marks Mazzone’s 21st season as the Panthers’ head coach.
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