Full Results
OAKWOOD, Ga. – In the first time of the fall season, the Fort Valley State runners took part in the University of North Georgia Invitational on Friday evening.
Both Wildcat teams were bunched together in their respective races. Elijah Taylor crossed the men's 8K finish line as the first FVSU runner while Katelynn Hodges was the top women in the 5K.
As a team, Oglethorpe won the field with a score of 18 with Piedomont and Columbus State to follow with 63 and 65. FVSU was eighth (237). For the women, host North Georgia claimed the top team score of 22 with Lander and Brenau at 79 and 104. The Wildcats were 10th with 278.
Oglethorpe had the top two men's finishers of Ashton Deriso (26:19.4) and Zachary Benner.
Taylor crossed in 45th (37:45.3), while Julian Stafford (38:52.9) and Larry Turner (39:49.7) were right behind in 46th and 47th. Andre Milner and Trenis Edmond completed the Wildcat participants in 49th (41:57.8) and 50th (45:52.3).
North Georgia's Claire Mills and Anna Chasteen were the top two women's finishers with a winning time of 18:14.2.
Hodges raced to a time of 26:08.6 for 50th place. Blanche McCluskey had a time of 26:29.3 in 52nd. Ariyah Graham took 55th (27:44.4) before the final three FVSU runners followed each other in Nyah Jones (34:43.0), Zakayla Starling (34:46.6) and Naliya Mallory (35:21.1) in 60th, 61st and 62nd.
FVSU returns to competition next Saturday, Sept. 21, in Macon for Mercer University's Julius Johnson Invitational.
-Wildcats-
