Moccasins Represent 12 of the Top 13 Finishers at HOKA Nights of Thunder

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Southern College men's cross country put on a performance to remember as the Moccasins nearly swept the top-10 at the HOKA Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest finishing in the top-nine spots as well as 12 of the top-13. Senior Christian Giller led the way with the second first-place finish of his career. The Moccasins finished with a perfect 15 points to top the standings while fellow Sunshine State Conference member Saint Leo University took second with 84 points.
 
Giller completed the 8K course in 25:24.50 to top the field. Sophomore Eli Zuppa and senior Chris Colavita rounded out the top-three for the Mocs as Zuppa finished in 25:52.60 while Colavita stopped the clock at 25:54.36. Completing the perfect score of 15 were sophomore Andrew Nyland and junior Michael Toppi. Nyland took fourth overall in 25:57.30 while Toppi came in just behind at 26:01.46.
 
The next five runners for the Moccasins would have placed second as a team had they competed on their own. Junior Cole Summers led the group as he placed sixth overall and just over a second behind Toppi at 26:02.82. The next three Mocs ran as a group including junior William Canales, junior Cameron Raney and sophomore Daniel Welling. Canales placed seventh while crossing the line in 26:21.03. Raney came in just over a second later in eighth at 26:22.18 while Welling finished a second behind Raney to take ninth in 26:23.37. The final member of the quintet was freshman Skyler Jensen who just missed out on a top-10 finish as he took 11^th. The rookie clocked in at 26:37.60, just holding off fellow freshman Jack Girard who came across just one second later in 12^th at 26:38.94.
 
Florida Southern saw eight additional Moccasins cross the finish including five more in the top-20 which would have given FSC its third top-three team of the event.
 
The Moccasins will now turn their focus to Kenosha, Wis., site of the 2025 NCAA Division II National Championship, as they compete in the Lucian Rosa Invite on Saturday, Sept. 27. The first of two out-of-state meets for the Mocs this season.
 
 
FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE FINISHERS

1st	Christian Giller	25:24.50
2nd	Eli Zuppa	25:52.60
3rd	Chris Colavita	25:54.36
4th	Andrew Nyland	25:57.30
5th	Michael Toppi	26:01.46
6th	Cole Summers	26:02.82
7th	William Canales	26:21.03
8th	Cameron Raney	26:22.18
9th	Daniel Welling	26:23.37
11th	Skyler Jensen	26:37.60
12th	Jack Girard	26:38.94
13th	Parker Graham	26:50.09
15th	Denny Olsen	26:56.44
16th	Tyler Gaines	26:58.27
17th	Trevor Cross	27:19.60
20th	Dillon Mantei	27:47.94
21st	Connor Brooks	27:59.56
26th	Joshua White	28:46.95
37th	Zack Gunderson	29:30.90