Asher Gibbons
Sports Editor
Before the season, the men’s cross country team was slated to win the Sunshine State Conference Championship for the third year in a row in the coaches poll. The Mocs did exactly that.
The last time FSC has gone back-to-back-to-back was in 2008, 09′ and 10’ but the Mocs have a long way to go to match the 14 straight SSC championships from 1997 to 2010.
On Oct. 28, Head Coach Matt Levassiur received his second straight SSC coach of the year honors to pair alongside the five Moccasins who earned all conference honors: Christian Giller, Chris Colavita, Cole Summers, Eli Zuppa and Anthony Matthew.
Senior Christian Giller has once again claimed gold in the race, going back to back for the conference championship. Giller has become the fifth Moc all time to be a consecutive repeat winner of the SSC Championship.
On Saturday Oct. 25, the Mocs run at their home Holloway Park featured crisp 60 degree weather and sunshine for the 114 participants. Luckily, the course was in tact for the runners which is opposite to last year after the hurricanes ripped through the wider Lakeland area.
According to Giller, the hardest part of the 8k course is the push through the 400 meter loop and rolling, sandy hills. After completing a “soul-sucking” 5k through the woods, the runners must turn back around and run a 3k back to the start.
Giller completed the run in 24:27.6, just two seconds off of FSC alumnus Mason Jones’ course record at Holloway. After this season, Giller will hold three of the top ten 8k times for the school.
Giller also holds every Cross Country 10k record for the school with the best 10k time, best NCAA regional meet time and best NCAA national meet time. Giller, however, is not satisfied. He’s searching for the first All American title in school history for cross country.
Giller and company will now look to run in the South Regional Championship on Saturday, Nov. 8 and the NCAA National Championships on Nov. 22 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
