#TCCXC: Nennstiel, Giddens lead Eagles at Cougar Challenge
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (August 25, 2017) – It was another day of firsts for Tallahassee Community College's cross country program.
Running in the season-opening Cougar XC Challenge at Tallahassee's Phipps Park, the Eagle men participated in their debut race, joining the second-year women's team on the same course for the first time in school history.
Both teams brought home a second place finish in the 5000m event, hosted by Godby High School, trailing only NAIA member Point University.
Individually, freshman Gatlin Nennstiel took top male honors, becoming the first Tallahassee runner to finish first in a collegiate race. Nennstiel, a native of Monticello, Fla., and a former standout for Aucilla Christian Academy, crossed the line in 18:26.93 to establish the school record in the 5000m.
Freshmen Travis Sparks (19:20.76) and Joshua Guest (21:31.31) finished fourth and eighth, respectively, as the Eagles tallied 34 points in the scoring.
Another pair of freshman, Tunde Azikwe (22:20.58) and Kelvin Brown (22:29.19), finished 10th and 11th, respectively, to round out Tallahassee's scoring.
On the women's side, sophomore Meagan Giddens, a transfer from Florida Atlantic University, led the Eagles' contingent, finishing second with a time of 23:12.56.
Giddens' former FAU teammate, Olnick Duverge, was next with a time of 26:20.75. The Eagles finished with 45 points in the scoring.
A trio of freshmen finished the Eagles' afternoon in the scoring column. Rachel Williams (30:56.64) crossed the line in 11th, while Ashley Maxwell (36:09.44) and India Morris (36:27.78) finished 14th and 15th, respectively.
Up next for Tallahassee is the Big Bend Invite on Saturday, September 2 at Apalachee Regional Park.
