TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M returns to Apalachee Regional Park this weekend as the Rattlers take part in the FSU Cross Country Invite on Friday, Oct. 9, at 8:20 a.m. The race will be run as a 5K, and is hosted by Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
The meet serves as the final event before the upcoming Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship, also taking place at Apalachee Regional Park, on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
 
The meet is open to all NCAA institutions regardless of division, with the women's race run over 5K and the men's race over 8K. Apalachee Regional Park, set to host the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships, remains one of the premier courses in the country, giving FAMU a chance to measure itself against nationally ranked and regionally competitive programs alike on a course it will see again for Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and NCAA regional postseason racing.
 
The men's 8k will take place at 7:40 a.m., with the women's 6k race to follow at approximately 8:20 a.m. Admission and parking are free for all participating teams and spectators. Fans can follow the meet results through Pttiming FSU XC Invite.
 
FSU XC Invite hosted by Florida State Preview
 
Friday, October 9, 2026
 
Women's 5K | 8:20 a.m.
 
Live Results
 
Last Time Out
 
Florida A&M Women's Cross Country took part in the jam-packed 28-team field at the FSU Pre-Regional held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
Florida A&M scored 452 points in the 6-kilometer race, finishing ahead of 13 teams, including Jacksonville (463 points), Ave Maria (513), Lynn (526), Eckerd (581) and Bethune-Cookman (597), respectfully.
 
Rose Muturi, a junior from Nyahururu, Kenya, paced the Rattlers on the day, placing 42nd among 247 finishers with a time of 22:51.8.
 
Freshman Crystal Malaykhan, this week's Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), was the Rattlers' second scorer, taking 99th in 23:56.6.
 
Senior Christina Fitzpatrick followed in 113th (24:18.7), then junior Jaade McBride in 141st (24:56.9) and sophomore Leandra Ferrell in 144th (25:04.7).
 
Freshman Bree Brooks (159th, 25:23.1) and senior Nina Story (175th, 25:59.4) rounded out Florida A&M's top seven.
 
The Rattlers' top five runners averaged 24:13.7, with a two-minute, 12.9 second gap between the first and fifth finishers.
 
The host Florida State Seminoles won the team title with 17 points, placing five runners in the top six.
 
Rylee Blade won the individual race for the Seminoles in 20:39.2, followed by teammates Bieke Schipperen, a senior, in 20:44.5, and Nicole Dinan, a junior, in 20:51.2. Miami's Maddie Scheier, a senior, was fourth in 21:08.0.
 
Southern Miss was second with 112 points, followed by Miami (139), Florida Atlantic (150) and Embry-Riddle (155).
 
The Field at the Florida Intercollegiate XC Invitational
 
The field at this year's FSU XC Invite features a total of 21 teams eligible for scoring, as well as two additional teams with individual student-athletes running without scoring in the team portion of the race. Some of the participating schools include host Florida State, FAMU, Alabama State, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville, Jacksonville State, North Alabama and Troy.
 
The Course
 
Apalachee Regional Park includes one of the nation's few sites designed specifically for cross country running. This trail is a pristine, multi-surface course that hosts small and large running events. The facility features numerous course and distance options through the rolling hills, lowlands, and pine forests. The trail was designed to give runners the opportunity to run on several types of surfaces. When the trail is not being used for a running event, it is open to the general public for hiking, running, and biking. The park also has four lighted multi-purpose grass fields with American football field goals. The fields are also used for soccer and lacrosse. The parking area accommodates more than 3,500 vehicles at one time. Additionally, the park has a remote-control airplane and helicopter airfield.
 
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