TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (October 27, 2022) – The Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) and Region 8 of the National Junior College Athletic Association will host its 2022 Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park, Friday, October 28. 

The men's 8K will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by the women's 5K at 9:30 a.m. The awards presentation is slated to start at approximately 10:15 a.m. 

Since the inaugural championship race in 2016, which consisted of just four women's teams and 31 total runners, the sport has seen consistent growth across the Sunshine State. Friday's event will feature a record 142 combined runners and 19 total teams – 7 men, 12 women – including first-time attendees from the College of Central Florida (women), Eastern Florida State College (men and women) and Pasco-Hernando State College (men). 

In both races, Eastern Florida State and Seminole State College will vie for the Division I Region 8 Championship while the remaining schools will battle for the Division II FCSAA & Region 8 Championships. 

The men's race will feature three nationally-ranked teams – DI No. 14 Eastern Florida State, DII No. 4 Daytona State College, and DII No. 9 Lake-Sumter State College. Meanwhile, the women's event will boast five teams with national rankings – DI No. 23 Eastern Florida State, DI No. 25 Seminole State, DII No. 6 Pasco-Hernando State, DII No. 7 Daytona State and DII No. 12 Florida Gateway College. 

Other participating schools include: Chipola College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Pensacola State College, South Florida State College, and Tallahassee Community College. 

Following Friday's championship races, teams will prepare for a return trip to Tallahassee for the NJCAA Division I/II Cross Country Championships, which will take place at the ARP on Saturday, November 12, and the NJCAA Half Marathon, which will run along Miller Landing Road on Tuesday, November 15.