As the temperatures were in the 50s on Saturday morning, September 25, the Georgia Military College Bulldog Cross Country teams were getting ready to participate in the 2021 edition of the Coach Gary Wilson Invitational hosted by the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, GA.  

The men's team led by Sophomore Daniel Turnipseep ran first. Turnipseed has led the team for the past two seasons and finished in 16th place; all five of the team's scoring runners finished from 16th through 27th. The team finished in 4th place, ahead of two NCAA DII programs. The Running Bulldogs were missing one of their regular top 5 runners, and Turnipseed was returning from a slight leg injury. The hilly course challenged the Bulldogs, but most runners set season if not personal best races. 

The women's team raced second and did not need to deal with the dew on the grass as much as the men did. With two of their top runners out, the team had to rely on runners six and seven to count, and they did so. Zealand Wasson (Kahuku, HI) led the way with 44th place. Like the men's team, the women packed all five scoring runners between 44th and 65th. The team defeated two NCAA DII programs and three NCAA DIII programs. They finished in 7th place overall.

Coach Rob Sherwood said, "Our strength this season is in the way that we can pack the runners together. We need to keep moving that pack closer to the front of the race to keep improving."

The Running Bulldogs are back in action next Saturday, October 2, at the Willie Laster Invitation hosted by Albany State University. For more information about GMC JC Athletics, please visit www.gmcbulldogs.com.