TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (October 29, 2021) – Daytona State College sophomore Andy Martinez successfully defended his individual state championship with a record-breaking run at Friday's NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA State Cross Country Championships, held at Apalachee Regional Park.
With Wednesday's heavy rains in the rear-view mirror, Friday morning delivered near-ideal conditions with a race-time temperature of 55 degrees. The runners took advantage, with the top five all posting sub-27:00 times. In the first three years of the event, there had only been four such times total.
Martinez finished the 8K race in 25:50.30, well ahead of the 26:01 he posted at the same event last fall. He is the first men's runner to repeat as state champion in the four-year history of the event.
Martinez also led Daytona State to a dominating performance in the team scoring. The Falcons claimed five of the top seven runners to finish with 21 points, well ahead of runners-up Lake-Sumter State College (57 points) and third-place Tallahassee Community College (81 points).
By virtue of winning the team title, Daytona State's Judy Wilson was named FCSAA Coach of the Year.
Tallahassee freshman Leo Rutledge finished second to Martinez in the individual standings, posting a 26:21.90 to better the Eagles' school record by more than 90 seconds. He also now owns the third-fastest time in championship race history, trailing only the two title runs by Martinez.
Daytona State's Sebastian Hernandez (26:33.20) and Adolfo Castro (26:56.40) finished third and fourth, respectively, followed by Lake-Sumter State College's Nicholas Atkinson (26:59.40) in fifth.
Another pair of Falcons, Christian Ruocco (27:05.90) and Jerdary Ayala (27:11.20) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, to round out the FCSAA All-State Team, awarded to the top seven finishers.
Martinez, by virtue of finishing as the Individual State Champion, was also awarded FCSAA Men's Runner of the Year honors.
Seminole State College and Florida State College at Jacksonville rounded out the team standings in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
In total, 40 men's participants lined up for Friday's race at the ARP, which was hosting its sixth consecutive FCSAA Championships and is the site of the 2022 NJCAA Championships next November.
The teams will now get ready for the 2021 NJCAA Cross Country and Half Marathon Championships in Richmond, Va., November 13 and 16, respectively.
