Gadsden, AL – Gadsden State’s cross country teams are preparing for their second meet of the season at the University of West Florida Argonaut Invitational in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday. Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking to build on their recent performances at the Jacksonville State Foothills Festival, held at Oxford’s Choccolocco Park.
The Lady Cardinals finished 12th overall at the festival, securing the second-best spot among community college teams in the 5K race. Freshman Alexis Renn from Prattville led the way for Gadsden State, finishing with a time of 20:38.14, placing her 52nd overall. Close behind her was freshman Kaylee Tarpley, clocking in at 21:16.12.
Other standout performances included Madeline Holt (21:29.50), Riley Matthews (24:00.39), and sophomore McKinley Kay (24:56.88), who rounded out the team’s effort.
In the men’s 5K, freshman Ryan Matthews of Ashville finished 64th overall with an impressive time of 16:48.66. Lane Self was next for Gadsden State, finishing at 18:30.09, followed closely by Travis Cooley at 18:30.18. DeShaun Foster (19:02.21), Conner Strawn (19:46.88), and Tyler Worley (22:11.47) also competed for the Cardinals.
Both the men’s and women’s teams entered the season ranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, with the men ranked as high as 17th and the women as high as 19th.
“I’m very excited to see what this group can accomplish this year,” said first-year Gadsden State cross country coach Jackson Millander, who took over as head coach after serving as a volunteer assistant last season. “We have a great mix of experienced sophomores and talented freshmen. I expect to see some records broken.”
Gadsden State Volleyball Update
Gadsden State’s volleyball team, led by coach Courtney Brothers in her third season, is currently 5-8 overall and 1-2 in Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) play. Defensive specialist Allie Bryant leads the ACCC with 226 digs, averaging 4.91 digs per set, and was named the ACCC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 2.
Freshman Savannah Hall leads the team with 95 kills, with Kaleigh Butler adding 90 kills. Rylin St. Clair has compiled a team-high 226 assists and 83 digs, while Emma Earl has added 145 assists. Kiley Tyler has recorded 69 kills and 9 blocks for the season.
After facing Snead State at home on Monday, Gadsden State will host Pearl River Community College on Wednesday and travel to Pellissippi State on Thursday. The next home conference match will be Sept. 26 against Southern Union.
For more information about Gadsden State’s athletics, visit GoCardinals.GadsdenState.edu.
