Jones Leads Falcons at St Leo Invitational

Daytona State's Shannon Hickey Jones placed sixth in a field of more than 100 runners at the St Leo Invitational to lead the Falcons to a seventh place finish and second among junior colleges.  Jones set a new school record for the 5000 meter distance with a 19:17 at the rolling and challenging Abbey Golf course.  "There is one pretty steep hill at the beginning and then at about the 3500 meter mark in the race, and there are a few longer stretches that you have to focus on to accelerate." commented Coach Judy Wilson.  Jones stepped away from running for about 16 years before joining the Falcons.  She is working on a bachelors degree at Daytona State.  A big surprise for the Falcons came from freshman Giovana Meade, running in the #2 spot for the Falcons.  At the half way point in the race, Meade picked up her momentum and caught a pack of four runners from rival school Pasco Hernando.  Wilson sees her as a runner who never realized her potential in high school and has now found her niche.  The Falcons ran without #2 runner Harleigh Crist.  Rounding out the top five was Lauren Schaudel and Kennedy Arterburn.