The 7th ranked Daytona State Falcons are headed to the Florida State University Invitational this Friday, Oct 2nd.  The Falcons are lead by Sophomore Andy Martinez (Melbourne, FL) who has twice been named the Region 8 Runner of the Week, and also National Runner of the Week for NJCAA Division II.  This will be the first race at the championship 8,000 meter distance for the Falcons.  But with four sophomores in the top seven, the Falcons are not unfamiliar with the increase in distance.   Coach Judy Wilson is excited for her team to get this opportunity.   "I think we will actually perform better as a team at the longer distance and its crucial that our freshmen get a crack at this distance before the Region 8 meet and NJCAA nationals.  There are strict guidelines to attend this race.  Our administration did not hesitate to meet those guidelines to get the team into the best competitive position possible.  The work that our trainers, administrative staff and others have done for this team has been so incredibly helpful in this challenging time."  

The top seven runners will compete at 8:30am at the Apalachee Regional Park course, which has hosted numerous FL state high school meets, the NJCAA Region 8 meet, and countless other high quality races.  The Falcons will race against teams from all levels, NCAA Division I, II, and NAIA teams.  Each race is limited to 10 teams of no more than 10 runners to allow for distancing.  "In such a huge outdoor setting, the field will seem small to the guys who are used to running races with over 300 runners."  Wilson said.  The Falcons entered in the meet are Andy Martinez, sophomores Adam Mastrobuono, Tyler Gilbert, Tyler Baker, and freshmen Jerdary Ayala, Adolfo Castro, and Richard Lebron.  Ayala, Castro and Lebron were all high school teammates at Tohopekaliga High School in Kissimmee, FL.