09/17/24
Gadsden State Athletics Update
GADSDEN, AL – Gadsden State’s cross country’s teams are preparing for their second meet of the season, as they’ll compete Friday at the University of West Florida Argonaut Invitational in Pensacola, Fla.
Both Gadsden State teams competed recently at the 18th annual Jacksonville State Foothills Festival, held at Oxford’s Choccolocco Park.
The Lady Cardinals placed 12th overall, registering the second-best finish among community college teams in the 5K.
Freshman Alexis Renn, a Prattville native, had the best finish for Gadsden State, clocking in with a 20:38.14. She was 52nd overall.
Freshman Kaylee Tarpley was behind Renn with a 21:16.12.
Madeline Holt (21:29.50), Riley Matthews (24:00.39) and sophomore McKinley Kay (24:56.88) rounded out the Gadsden State field.
In the men’s 5K, freshman Ryan Matthews, of Ashville, was Gadsden State’s top runner, placing 64th overall with a 16:48.66.
Lane Self crossed the finish line next for Gadsden State, registering a 18:30.09. Travis Cooley was right on Self’s heels, finishing with a 18:30.18.
DeShaun Foster (19:02.21), Conner Strawn (19:46.88) and Tyler Worley (22:11.47) also competed for Gadsden State.
Both Gadsden State teams began the season ranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll. The men were as high as 17th and the women as high as 19th.
“I’m very excited to see what this group can accomplish this year. We have a great group of experienced sophomores and talented freshmen across the board. Both teams competed at a high level last year, and I expect nothing less this year. I expect to see some records broken,” said Gadsden State first-year cross country coach Jackson Millander, who was hired as the Head Coach after serving as the volunteer assistant coach in the previous season.
Gadsden State Volleyball
After Monday’s home match vs. Snead State, Gadsden State’s volleyball team is 5-8 overall and 1-2 in Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) matches.
Gadsden State defensive specialist Allie Bryant leads the ACCC with 226 digs, averaging 4.91 digs per set. She was named the ACCC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 2 after racking up 98 digs across 21 sets.
Freshman Savannah Hall leads the team with 95 kills, while Kaleigh Butler has added 90 kills.
Freshman Rylin St. Clair has compiled a team-high 226 assists and added 83 digs.
Emma Earl has 145 assists, while Kiley Tyler has accumulated 69 kills and 9 blocks.
After today, the Cardinals play a couple of non-conference matches this week, hosting Pearl River Community College on Wednesday, beginning at 5 p.m., and traveling to Pellissippi State on Thursday.
The next home conference match is Sept. 26 vs. Southern Union.
Courtney Brothers is in her third season as Gadsden State’s volleyball coach.
For more information about the cross country and volleyball teams or any of Gadsden State’s athletics teams, visit GoCardinals.GadsdenState.edu.