Shellie Turner
In Motion Staff Writer
Daytona State’s athletic programs are expanding with the addition of men’s and women’s cross-country teams. Fall 2018 will mark their inaugural season with Coach Judy Wilson at the helm. An Indiana native, Wilson is looking forward to the upcoming season.
“My first goal is to field men and women’s teams that produce upstanding citizens who will represent Daytona State College in a way that makes others want to become Falcons,” she said. “We will strive to match the high academic standards of the other teams on campus and lastly, keep runners healthy to finish their first season.”
In a press release, Daytona State Athletic Will Dunne expressed excitement for the team’s creation.
“This is an exciting time in the growth and evolution of the Intercollegiate Athletic program at Daytona State. The beginning of the new cross-country program is bringing a new interest to our department and institution.”
While creating an athletic program from scratch is new territory for Wilson, program building is not. She has experience with rebuilding teams that are under-performing, as well as others within a conference. As with all collegiate sports, there are changes that come with new coaching staff and she is up for the challenge.
“Starting a program from scratch is certainly a unique situation and not all coaches get the privilege to do so.”
Tyler Simmons, who is coming to Daytona State from Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, is excited about the upcoming season. He has been running competitively for seven years, two spent in triathlons and Iron Man competitions. He was part of Spruce Creek’s cross-country team for four years and jumped at the chance to try out at DSC. He attended the first try outs and ran a qualifying time, earning himself a spot on the team.
“I’m very excited about the season. Cross country was my favorite sport in high school and being out of high school for three years now, I miss running with a team and having a coach there to push us to reach our potential,” he said.
Simmons is confident that Daytona State will field a strong team and will have great success, perhaps even making it to nationals. He hopes a good first season will garner attention for the program, which would bring more athletes to Daytona State. His hope for the team is that they form a good relationship and that they work well together. But he has also set the bar high for himself.
“My personal goal this season is to run an 8k under 27 minutes and to stay healthy.”
Lake Nona High School senior David Phillips was the first to sign a National Letter of Intent to attend and run cross country for Daytona State College’s inaugural season of men’s cross country. He is interested in majoring in business and is a member of the National Honor Society, along with being a three-time varsity letter winner in cross country and two-time varsity letter winner in track and field..
Currently, Coach Wilson has received commitments from several local student-athletes and others from as far away as her home state of Indiana have expressed interest in the team. There are still 12 spots to fill for both the men and the women’s teams and those interested in trying out should contact her as quickly as possible.
“I would strongly encourage those male runners who have run faster than 18 minutes for a 5k and female runners who have run faster than 23 minutes to contact me as soon as possible,” said Wilson, who can be reached at 506-3646 or email: Judy.Wilson@DaytonaState.edu.
Both men and women’s squads will compete against teams across all levels, from NCAA Div I, II and III, and NAIA, as well as NJCAA schools. For more information, visit DaytonaState.edu/CrossCountry.
Recently, Coach Wilson and two of her athletes, Simmons being one of them, were featured on WDSC’s “Fans” Sports Show. To see a playback of that episode, check out WDSC’s YouTube channel.