TAMPA, Fla. – The Florida Southern women's track team opened the outdoor portion of their 2025 schedule and senior
Emma Mussante picked up where she left off in indoor season as she lowered another school record while claiming an NCAA Provisional Qualifying Mark during the opening weekend of the season. The Moccasins competed at the Tampa Spartans Open against teams from throughout the state of Florida.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Location: Pepin Stadium | Tampa, Fla.
TOP PERFORMERS
- Mussante led a group of four Mocs in the 5,000m as she lowered her own school record. Mussante became the first Moccasin in program history to run a sub-17 minute 5K as she clocked in at 16:57.11 to win the event. The senior shaved over 24 seconds off her previous school mark set last season. Graduate student Ellie Fluman came in four spots back in fifth as she completed the distance in 17:38.40 to secure the 10th-fastest time in program history. Senior Mya Stam and sophomore Grace Reed finished just behind Fluman in sixth and seventh, respectively. Stam crossed the line in 17:51.98 while Reed clocked in less than three seconds later at 17:54.12.
- The final event of the night was the 4x400m relay where the Mocs posted the second-fastest time in program history and best time in 14 years as the record was set back in 2011. Sophomore Flavia Almeida, freshman Lylah Mattingly, junior Caitlin Beery and graduate student Jinia Johnson teamed up to secure third place with a time of 4:15.60.
- Junior Rachel Hockenberry led five Mocs in the 3,000m as she earned the fourth-fastest time in program history at 10:23.91 while taking sixth. Just four spots back in 10th was freshman Alena Pezzoli who clock in at 10:32.61. Sophomore Emma Pfeiffer cam in just under three seconds later in 11th at 10:35.55. Freshman Kira Casane and senior Emily Opalinski rounded out the Moccasin finishers with Casane taking 26th at 11:14.58 while Opalinski claimed 38th at 12:22.76.
- Mattingly also competed in the 400m individually where she took eighth overall while running the 10th-fastest time in program history at 1:02.78.
- Almeida was the lone Moccasin entrant in the 800m as she took fourth while crossing the finish in 2:25.34.
- The opening event of the meet for the Mocs was the 1,500m. Beery led a group of four Mocs in the event as she took fifth with a time of 4:49.08. Johnson came in two spots back in seventh in 4:49.70. The final two Mocs in the event were sophomore Emma Nales-Torchio (12th, 4:57.44) and freshman Heloise Pinto (20th, 5:11.15).
UP NEXT:
The Moccasins will be back in action in two weeks as they return to Tampa for the Tampa Spartans Classic on Friday, March 7.
