Eagle men soar to win at TCC XC Open

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (August 28, 2021) – Friday night's heavy rains turned the famed Apalachee Regional Park into a slow, and sometimes, sloppy course for Saturday morning's TCC XC Open. As a result, Tallahassee Community College men's cross country team's times were off the mark, and the Eagles weren't happy. 

Despite the discontent, Tallahassee still cruised to an easy head-to-head victory over the University of Florida's running club in the 2021 season opener. 

The Eagles claimed five of the top six spots in the scoring to finish with 19 points, bettering the Gators' total of 40. 

While many men's teams will get a race or two under their belt before jumping to the 8K distance, Tallahassee head coach Gary Droze wanted to throw his group into the fire right out of the gate. While pleased with the victory, he was also impressed with his team's response to the performance. 

"Frankly, I am pleased to know that our men were unsatisfied with their individual performances," said Droze. "This tells me they really care about improving and contending for a region championship in October. Yes, we have a lot of work to do, but I know they are all on board for the challenge." 

Former Lake-Sumter State College runner Alexander Croy, running unattached, was the top individual finisher. Behind him, however, was a convocation of Eagles, including four who made their 8K debut on Saturday. 

Freshman Leo Rutledge was first across the finish line in 28:52.61. After Florida's Jordan Foreman finished third overall, Tallahassee took the next five spots. 

Freshman Ryan Sloan was fourth with a time of 31:05.06. 

The Eagles' two returning runners, Bryce Bass and Shawn Marcum, finished fifth and sixth, respectively – Bass in 31:24.50; Marcum in 31:36.95. 

Freshmen Khary Wright and Jalani White were next up in seventh and eighth, respectively. Wright finished with a time of 31:53.02 while White was just four seconds behind in 31:57.43. 

In the women's 5K, freshman Arielle Valdes was the lone Eagle in Saturday's lineup, which included participants from Region 8 rivals Chipola College, Florida Gateway College, Pensacola State College, South Florida State College and Pasco-Hernando State College, as well as the University of Florida running club. 

Running the 5K for the first time, Valdes turned in a 23:44.91, good for tenth place in the field of 38 runners. 

"I was very happy with Arielle's run," said Droze. "In her first-ever 5K race, she finished in the top 10 with mature pacing, moving up three places in the second half of the race. Based on her starting effort, I am confident she can lead the Eagle women with a top ten individual finish at our region championship race in two months." 

Pasco-Hernando State took the team title while Maclay School alum Hannah Hosay was the top female runner with a time of 21:06.11.

Tallahassee Community College would like to thank Leon County and Visit Tallahassee for its support of the TCC XC Open.