Both Georgia Military College cross country teams competed at the Georgia College and State University Bobcat Invitational at Council Farms on 9 October 2021; this was the second time the Running Bulldogs have run at Council Farms. The Bulldogs will run there two more times as GMC will host the GCAA/NJCAA Region XVII Championship in late October and the NJCAA DIII National Championships on 13 November. Suppose the runners continue to improve their times. In that case, as they did between the Brickyard Invitational and the Bobcat Invitational, over the last two races of the year, they should be in a great position to represent the school well at home for the National Championship.
The women's team ran first with a 5k race while a heavy dew remained on the grass. Last weekend in Albany, GA, Tealani Wasson (Kahuku, HI) led the team with a 22:36, good enough for 35th place. Other scoring runners for the team were Nova Kroll (Pittsburgh, PA) 48th, Paige White (McCrae, GA) 53rd, Piper Stephens (Melbourne, FL), and Madison Nimmons (Lexington, GA) in 63rd. The team finished in 9th out of 13 teams and defeated two NCAA DII schools, one NCAA DIII, and one NAIA school. Jordan Prinner (Citrus Springs, FL) was held out of the race due to a slight injury. Speaking after the race, GMC Head Coach Rob Sherwood stated, "This was a solid race for our women's team. We faced some strong competition, and they responded well. I like where the team is headed."
The men's team had numerous runners absent due to military requirements, family requirements, or illness. Despite this, the men's team ran well and finished in 6th place out of 9 schools. They defeated three NCAA DII schools. Daniel Turnipseed (Blythwood, SC) finished in the top spot for the Bulldogs today with a time of 29:49 and 34th place, followed by Jacob Reed (Thompson, CT) 46th, Christopher Pombo (Brewster, MA) 52nd, Brandon Williams (Cadwell, GA) 53rd, and Charles Duru (Austell, GA) 55th. "Despite missing five runners, including three who raced at the NJCAA National Championship last season, and two others who run consistently in the top 5 this season, the team did very well. Daniel is a great leader, and the other men follow his lead. This is such a fun team to coach."
The GMC Bulldogs will be off for the next few weeks. Their next race is scheduled for 27 October at Council Farms for the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association/NJCAA Region XVII Championships. For more information about GMC JC Athletics, please visit www.gmcbulldogs.com.
