GAINESVILLE, Fla. - This morning in Gainesville at the Mountain Dew Invitational, the Men's and Women's Cross Country teams commenced their races.

"Obviously, we had some pretty good performances across the board, a couple off today but we competed really hard with those individuals," said Head Coach Nathan Christianson.

In the Women's 3-mile event, Stetson secured 9th place among 14 competing teams, amassing a total of 270 team points. The Hatters outpaced conference rival FGCU and various other Florida schools, including Florida A&M, Florida Southern, Florida International, and Bethune Cookman.

Leading the charge for the Hatters, Junior Blair Durda completed the course in 18:08.4, securing 35th place overall. Juliet Tonkin followed closely behind, finishing 53rd with a time of 18:36.3. The remainder of the Hatters' team included Madison Niederriter in 64th (18:52.3), Annabelle Brink in 92nd (19:55.9), Taylor Cushenberry in 107th (20:25.3), and Madeleine Empric in 112th (20:33.4). In total, 139 runners crossed the finish line, while eight others were unable to complete the race.

"With the ladies, Madison and Annabelle had really good races today, big jumps for them and I'm really happy with how they raced," said Christianson. "Taylor really stepped up at the end for us and got the fifth spot but overall great day and we're pretty happy with our effort across the board."

In the Men's 7800-meter race, Stetson secured the 12th position out of 15 participating teams, accumulating 318 team points. The Hatters performed admirably against Florida schools, besting Florida Atlantic, Florida International, and Bethune Cookman.

Sophomore Collin Brooks led the Hatters, crossing the finish line in 35th place with a time of 25:14.4. Close on his heels, Conrad Voigt finished 95th in under a minute, recording a time of 26:13.5. Robbie Champa followed just two seconds later, securing 97th place with a time of 26:15.1, and Eduardo Diaz finished 98th with a time of 26:15.2. Michael Petrovic wasn't far behind, finishing 100th with a time of 26:16.1. The Hatters' roster was completed by Seth Singer in 116th (26:45.8), Patrick Pitts in 135th (27:17.3), Luke Danison in 143rd (27:29.4), and Christian Pastrana in 150th (27:53.9). Of the 178 runners who began the race, four were unable to finish.

"Collin had an amazing day, I think it's the first time breaking 26 minutes for him so I was really impressed with him," said Christianson. "Eduardo, I think first time breaking 27, and I was really happy with him, as well."

Looking ahead, both teams are set to compete at Florida State on September 29. The men's race will commence at 7:40 am, followed by the women's race at 8:10 am.

"Overall, the week we've had some sickness and soreness but I'm impressed with our work ethic today," said Christianson. "In the future, I think we could move up a little bit more but for today, we're really happy with how the men ran."


About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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