#TCCXC: Meagan Giddens wins FCSAA Championship
WATCH: Meagan Giddens crosses the finish line and wins the state championship
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (October 28, 2017) – Tallahassee Community College sophomore runner Meagan Giddens set a school-record in the 5000-meters en route to winning the women's NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA State Cross Country Championship on Saturday morning at Apalachee Regional Park.
Giddens, a native of Perry, Fla., finished in 20:06.7, shattering the previous record of 20:40.96, established by Samantha Reilly during the Eagles' inaugural season in 2016. Her time was also 40 seconds faster than when she ran the ARP on October 6 at the FSU Invitational.
Giddens' championship run propelled Tallahassee to a third-place finish in the five-team event with 69 points, just two points behind South Florida State College.
Pasco-Hernando State College, who had five of the top eight finishers in the 37-person field, successfully defended its team championship with 25 points in the scoring.
Florida State College at Jacksonville and Chipola College rounded out the team standings, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Giddens, who was in fourth place near the halfway point, made her move in the final 2,000 meters to surge to the front, eventually overtaking Pasco-Hernando State's Quincy Mayer for the lead. By the time Giddens passed Shell Bridge, she led by eight seconds and pulled away from there, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Mayer, who entered Saturday's race with the fastest time in Region 8 this fall.
"I'm overjoyed with the progress I've made this season," said Giddens, who transferred to Tallahassee after running at Florida Atlantic as a freshman. "I tried to come into this race as relaxed as my nerves would let me be. I wanted to follow the lead runners and try to beat them in the last mile.
"I'm elated to be the first runner to win a state title (for Tallahassee) and break the school record."
With her first place finish, Giddens also earned a spot on the All-NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA All-State Team and was named FCSAA Runner of the Year.
Alexis McElroy was next across the line for Tallahassee, as she and South Florida State's Kamryn Folger were neck-and-neck down the stretch. Folger (23:02.9) crossed 1.1 seconds ahead of McElroy, who finished in 23:04.0, 50 seconds better than her previous low time and 1:39 better than her time in the FSU Invitational.
Beginning with McElroy, Tallahassee had three of the next five finishers to solidify third place.
Rachel Williams took 59 seconds off her previous best time to finish 14th in 23:33.6 while Olnick Duverge ran a 23:58.7 and finished 17th.
Ashley Maxwell finished 25th to complete the Eagles' scoring. Her time of 26:31.6 was 1:43 faster than her finish at the FSU Invitational.
Giddens' individual championship and the team's third-place finish left head coach Gary Droze impressed with his second Tallahassee squad.
"The women overachieved as a group today and came within a whisker of upsetting South Florida State College for the runner-up team finish," said Droze. "On paper, they were seeded to lose (to South Florida State) by 12 points, but whittled that margin to just two points in the chute, largely by running smart and restrained early on, then passing fatigued opponents on the second loop.
"Up front, team captain Meagan Giddens employed that same strategy to perfection," Droze added. "By staying relaxed and settled just behind the leaders through the first 3K, she was able to display her fitness when it counted in the last mile. Very fitting that our motivational leader led the Eagles to the finish line."
While Saturday capped the 5K season for the Eagles, the team will run the half marathon at Barney's Run for Warriors in Albany, Ga., on November 18 to officially close the season.
