FLCC XC Kicks off 2020 Season at Tompkins Cortland Community College
DRYDEN, N.Y. – The Finger Lakes Community College Cross Country teams kicked off their 2020 season on Saturday at the 2020 Tompkins Cortland Community College XC Invitational. With the new COVID-19 regulations, it was a much different experience than most races, but the teams were able to compete in a smooth and safe fashion.
The men's team ran a 5k and finished third out of four complete teams. Sophomore Hunter Brignall finished in first place overall with a time of 16:46.6. Coming in sixth was Sophomore Giovanni Ventura with a time of 18:34.4. Brignall is no stranger to first place finishes. Last season, he was the Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) Runner of the Year, after his first place finish at the MSAC Conference Championship.
When asked about Brignall's finish, Head Coach Jayden Donahue said, "Hunter tends to go into every race thinking 'how can I win this?'" Brignall did exactly that.
The women's team consists of two athletes, Kaitlyn Hilkert and Chyra Patterson. They competed as individuals and not eligible to place as a team. Hilkert finished in fourth place with a time of 26:24.3. Patterson finished in eighth place with a time of 30:14.6.
"Kaitlyn was very pleased with her finish," said Coach Donahue. "She is dealing with an Achilles injury and I don't think she was expecting to have such a good race."
The 2020 Nations Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III cross country season looks a lot different than years past. The COVID-19 regulations make it so that there are no spectators, which makes the atmosphere a lot quieter than what everyone is used to. Each school will also compete separately. The men and women ran together at their designated times. Everything is staggered to ensure each athlete's safety. Teams are also not allowed to preview the courses before starting each race. This makes it a bit more difficult for traveling teams.
"It was challenging to have only one team on the course at a time," explained Coach Donahue. "The athletes didn't get to experience racing against opponents, which is a big motivating factor during a race itself. This was the biggest thing the team said they needed to adapt to."
FLCC Director of Athletics, Samantha Boccacino was in attendance this weekend, and expressed her feelings about the meet.
"This first meet was a huge success for FLCC and all Region III cross country student-athletes," said Boccacino. "I would like to give a bit shout out to Tompkins Cortland for hosting the first athletic event in the region after being shut down in March. It was great to see our runners out competing in a safe and new format."
With the first meet down, FLCC cross country, and Boccacino are looking forward to the rest of the season.
The Lakers will compete next at the Raider Classic at Fulton-Montgomery Community College this coming Saturday, September 19th. FLCC will start at 12:20pm.