11/07/24
Cross Country team to run at national competition Saturday
Gadsden, Ala. — Members of the Gadsden State Community College Cross Country Team will compete on the national level at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Cross Country Championships. The race will be Nov. 9 at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Va. The women’s team qualified as a team while the men’s team had one individual qualifier. The women will run at 9:30 a.m. with the men following at 10:30 a.m.
“I’m very happy with the continued success of our program,” said Jackson Millander, head coach of the cross country team. “The women’s team has qualified for nationals since its inception three seasons ago.”
During the 2024 season, both men’s and women’s teams made appearances in the NJCAA Division II Coaches Poll.
“The highest ranking our women’s team achieved was 12th in the nation while our men’s team was ranked 24th in the nation,” he said. “Although we have slipped out of the rankings, I expect these girls to compete at a very high level this weekend.”
The Gadsden State Lady Cardinals are entering the national competition following a decent showing at the Alabama Community College Conference Region 22 Cross Country Championships on Oct. 25.
In the 5K run, the women’s team finished in fifth place behind Wallace State, Shelton State, Calhoun and Northeast Alabama, respectively. The top Gadsden State runner was freshman Kaylee Tarpley, who finished 13th overall with a time of 21:16. Maddie Holt finished 18th with a time of 22:08 followed by Alexis Renn, who finished right outside the Top 25 at 26th with a time of 22:47. Holding down the fourth and fifth spots for the Cardinals were Riley Matthews (39th – 24:33) and McKinley Kay (40th -- 24:36). There were 75 runners in the women’s division.
The men’s team finished in ninth place behind Wallace State, Northeast Alabama, Calhoun, Coastal Alabama, Marion Military Institute, Enterprise State, Southern Union State and Shelton State, respectively. The top Gadsden State runner in the 8K run was freshman Ryan Matthews, who finished at 17th with a 27:48. He will be representing Gadsden State as an individual qualifier at the national meet.
Matthews was followed by sophomore Deshaun Foster, who finished at 47th place with a time of 30:09. Other Gadsden State runners include Lane Griffin (52nd – 31:18), Conner Strawn (54th – 31:26), Travis Cooley (63rd – 32:00), Jonah Medders (67th – 32:20) and Tyler Worley (79th – 34:11) There were 96 runners in the men’s division.
“We didn’t have our best performance at the ACCC Championship Meet, but I believe that has only motivated this team to work even harder,” Millander said. “To finish Top 5 in our conference is a testament to how hard these girls worked this season. We compete in one of the toughest conferences in the nation, which is loaded with many Top 25 teams.”
ACCC teams currently ranked nationally in the women’s division are Wallace State in seventh place, Shelton State in 13th place and Calhoun in 16th place. Ranked nationally among the men’s teams are Wallace State in third place, Northeast Alabama in 18th place, Calhoun in 21st place and Coastal Alabama in 25th place.
For more information on Gadsden State Athletics, visit GoCardinals.GadsdenState.edu.
Freshman Riley Matthews competes at the UWF Invitational in Pensacola. Matthews will represent Gadsden State as an individual qualifier at the national meet. (Photo courtesy of WorleyBirds Photography)