TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It was Valencia Butler and Duane Lee leading the charge for Bethune-Cookman Cross Country in both the women's and men's events on Friday, Sept. 29, as the Wildcats participated in the Florida State Invite at Apalachee Regional Park.
 
The Bethune-Cookman men finished 29th in the field, while the women placed 32nd overall on the day.
 
On the men's side, Bethune-Cookman fielded five runners on the day in what was an 8K race. The men had a total team score of 939 points – finishing in front of Edward Waters and Beacon College in the final points tally.
 
The men were charged by Duane Lee, competing in his first event of the 2023 season, as he crossed the line with a time of 29:14.4. Sophomore Da'Quon King was second-fastest for the Wildcats with a time of 30:42.7. He was followed closely by his brother and teammate Ja'Quan King, who crossed in a mark of 30:48.4.
 
Damaris Robinson, one of five sophomores on Garon Jackson's squad for the men, turned in a time of 35:00.7, while classmate Jonathan Gaines posted a finishing time of 35:39.5 on the day.
 
Florida captured the men's team victory with a score of 39 points, followed by Embry-Riddle (75) and Florida Southern (82). It would be the Gators' Ethan Geiger (24:42.1) taking the top individual honors on the day for the men's 8K course.
 
Over in the women's 5K race, BCU fielded five runners on the day.
 
The Cats scored 1,037 points, finishing ahead of teams from Central Florida, Lake Sumter State and Edward Waters, respectfully.
 
Valencia Butler, a sophomore from Augusta, Georgia, captured the top performance time for the Maroon and Gold as she finished in a time of 21:55.2 in the event.
 
It would be Nyidjah Ives, another sophomore and one of four on the women's side, finishing with the second-fastest time for BCU in a mark of 23:04.9. She was followed by Caliyah Gee (26:46.4) and Jordan Singletary (28:07.6).
 
The final runner for the women's team was Lauren Johnson, as the Memphis, Tennessee native registered a time of 32:21.8 overall.
 
LSU turned in the top team score for the women's 5K event, capturing 27 points. The Tigers were followed by Florida (42) and FIU (106), respectively.
 
The individual winner on the women's side was the Tigers' Lorena Rangel Batres (17:13.0), while teammates Michaela Rose (17:20.5) and Ella Chesnut (17:21.5) followed in scoring to lift LSU to a 1-2-3 individual finish.
 
BCU returns to the course next weekend as the Wildcats travel out of state for the first time this season when embarking upon the Royals Challenge hosted by Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
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