New College of Florida Men's and Women's Cross Country will open its second season in program history Friday at the South Florida State College Panther XC Invitational.
The meet will be held at South Florida State College's Highlands Campus in Avon Park, Florida. The men's 5K race will begin at 10 AM EST , followed by the women's 5K race at 10:30 AM.
IMPORTANT LINKS
RESULTS (COMING SOON)
RACE NOTES
YEAR TWO: Head Coach Alec Valle enters his second season leading the Mighty Banyans after launching both programs in 2025. Valle has continued to grow the program by adding 12 runners ahead of its second season.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Junior Cole Fleming and freshman Mireille Gomez were named NCF's Men's and Women's Sun Conference Runners to Watch. Fleming joins the Mighty Banyans after transferring from Florida State College at Jacksonville, while Gomez begins her collegiate career after coming to NCF from Pembroke Pines, Florida.
SETTING THE PACE: Natheer Suied returns after leading the NCF men during much of their inaugural season. Suied recorded a season-best 8K time of 28:03 at the Ed Holloway Classic, finishing as the top NAIA runner in the field.
MAKING HISTORY: Suied was named Sun Conference Men's Runner of the Week following his performance at the Ed Holloway Classic. Arianna Childs earned the women's honor after running a 27:12 in the 6K race, making the duo the first weekly conference award winners in program history.
LEADING THE WAY: Childs returns after pacing the NCF women in every race she competed in during her freshman season. She posted a season-best 6K time of 27:07.3 at the Sun Conference Championships.
BACK FOR MORE: Alex Llanos and Pierce Mihailoff return for the NCF men after representing the Mighty Banyans during its debut campaign. Abby Retberg, Olivia Haddock, Genevieve Michal and Naomi Nerlien are back for the women's team after competing during NCF's inaugural season.
UP NEXT: NCF will return to action Friday, Sept. 11, at the St. Thomas University Bobcat Invitational in Miami Gardens, Florida. Competition is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
