Men and Women's Cross Country 2020-21 Season Opener

The Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) Men and Women's Cross Country teams both look forward to having a season. The only NJCAA sport in the fall of 2020 is Cross Country, which makes the spotlight even brighter for the athletes.

Head Coach Jody Hale states, "We are very fortunate that we are the only NJCAA sport in the fall", as all other fall sports are postponing their season until spring of 2021. Moving from Division I to Division II, FSCJ will be one of 55 other schools making the transition. Teams in the same region as FSCJ that also made the move to Division II include Daytona State, Lake-Sumter State, and Tallahassee Community College.

For the women's team, Coach Hale worked hard in bringing the best talent from all over Jacksonville. Almost starting from scratch, Coach Hale recruited five women who all attended high schools in the Jacksonville and Northeast Florida area. Returning for the women's team is Hannah Zeigler (Mandarin), Ally Nerkirk (Bishop Snyder), Kellee Valero (Duval Charter), and Stephanie Bautista (Lake Region). Newcomers are Shealyn Barbuto (Fleming Island), Bailey May (Bishop Snyder), Kayla Konnick (Middleburg), Bailey Bowles (Bartram Trail), and Emma Brown (Orange Park).

Switching over to the men, six athletes are returning from last season and there is one incoming freshman. Returners include John Bear (Orange Park), Gage West (Fleming Island), Tyler DeSando (Rockledge), Lucas Van Ginkel (Richmond Hill), and Joe Hale (Bishop Kenny). For the incoming men's runner, Kenneth Aldrich (Yulee) hopes to make an initial splash on this Blue Wave team.

The season kicks off Friday (September 4) evening in Ocala for the Horse Park Invitational.