August 17, 2022 Florida Gateway College Cross Country Prepares for the 2022-2023 Season Share Share this post Twitter Facebook eMail Copy URL Copy The Timberwolves of Florida Gateway College Women’s Cross Country are preparing for the 2022-2023 Season, which kicks off in Valdosta, GA, on September 2. In 2021-2022, the Timberwolves finished 11th in the nation at the NJCAA Division II National Championships. Head Coach April Morse has high hopes for the team after an impressive performance last season and with five members of last year’s team returning. “On paper, with five possible in the top 7 at Regionals,” said Morse, “it looks like we could win Region 8 Championships.” Morse believes that if the runners are healthy and injury-free, the season could end very well with the Timberwolves finishing near the top at Nationals. In order to do that, Morse added, the team’s top five runners would need to finish under 20 minutes in the 5k event. “I believe that is possible,” said Morse. “‘Success Begets Success’ is my motto for 2022-2023. We did surprisingly well last season, placing 11th at Nationals with all of our athletes from surrounding counties, within a 45-minute drive of FGC. We were able to recruit faster athletes this season coming, which can only translate to faster athletes at the end of the season. It’s exciting to contemplate what could happen this season.” “With only two freshmen on this year’s team, this will be a very experienced group,” said Chris Hackett, FGC Athletic Director. “They have worked hard in preseason, highlighted by a team trip to Georgia, and we are excited to see them compete over the next couple of months.” 2022-2023 FGC Women’s Cross Country Roster: Ariel Anderson SO – Santa Fe High School PR 20:16Placed 32nd at the NJCAA DII National Championship last fall in 20:16, leading the Lady Timberwolves to a 11th place finish, only 3 points behind Daytona State who placed 10th. Ariel placed 5th at the Region 8 Championships, earning All-Region honors. We look for her to again finish in the top 7 at Regionals while finishing under 20 minutes for the 5k distance. Kyla Desmartin SO – Branford High School PR 21:01Kyla placed in the top 10 at Region 8 last season and 63rd at Nationals with a season best time of 21:01. Kyla has been working hard this summer, putting in a solid distance base to start the season. She should be well under 20 minutes for the 5k before the season is done. We look for her to place in the top 7 at Regionals and do very well at Nationals. Kayla Desmartin SO – Branford High School PR 21:09Kayla also placed in the top 10 at Region 8 last season and was 68th at Nationals with a personal best time of 21:09. Kayla has been putting in over 50 miles per week most of the summer, and she should also be under 20 minutes for 5k, possibly even under 19. We look for her to place in the top 7 at Regionals and also do very well at Nationals. Fallon Flynn SO – Santa Fe High School PR 23:10She placed 150th at Nationals in a field of over 250 runners. She was the fastest No. 6 runner in our Region last season with a personal best time of 23:10. We look for her to finish under 22 minutes this fall. She has been named our 2022 Team Captain for her fortitude in overcoming obstacles that would cause many other athletes to quit school. She has a positive attitude and is a good friend to all of our athletes, especially the new ones. Merlin Leal SO – Suwannee High School PR 22:30Third year athlete due to COVID eligibility from 2020-21 granted by NJCAA. Merlin placed in the top 30 at the Region 8 meet last season, finishing 118th at Nationals with a personal best time of 22:30. She has been working hard this summer, working at the Nike Smoky Mountain Running Camp as a counselor, in order to be ready to run at the next level. She has her sights set on running at UNF next fall – this additional season of eligibility will allow her to continue to drop her 5k XC times. We look for her to possibly make the top 7 at Regionals as well as run under 20 minutes for the 5k XC. Morgan Wilson FR – Community Christian School of Tallahassee PR 20:33Morgan has a personal best time of 20:33 for the 5k, which should put her in the top 7 at Regionals this fall. We look for her to go under 20 minutes this fall as well. Ashlyn Speigner FR – Wakulla High School PR 23:21Ashlyn’s personal best time is 23:21 on a tough regional course she ran last fall. Ashlyn also attended the Nike Smoky Mountain Running Camp as a counselor this summer. We look for her to push Fallon and displace several other teams’ top 5 in our region. She should be able to get under 22 minutes for 5k this fall. Our goal for Ashlyn and Fallon is to place in the top 20 at Regionals. 2022 Meet Schedule: 9/02 Valdosta State University Border Clash 7 p.m. Valdosta, Ga.9/10 East Florida State College Invitational 7:50 p.m. Melbourne, Fla.9/17 Thomas Invitational Pre-Nationals 8 a.m. Tallahassee, Fla.9/30 South Florida State College 6 p.m. Avon Park, Fla.10/07 Florida State University Invitational 8 a.m. Tallahassee, Fla.10/14 Florida State College Jacksonville 5 p.m. Jacksonville, Fla10/28 NJCAA Region 8 Championships 8 a.m. Tallahassee, Fla11/12 NJCAA DII National Championships 11:15 a.m. Tallahassee, Fla.11/15 NJCAA Half-Marathon Nat. Championships 10 a.m. Tallahassee, Fla. Previous Article Next Article
