Florida Gulf Coast University Men's Cross Country

Goodson has taken the FGCU mens and womens cross country teams from their humble beginnings to a competitive D-I program. Highlighted by four finishes in the top half of the Atlantic Sun Conference and five trips to the NCAA South Regional Championships, Goodsons leadership has taken the Green and Blue to the next level. The success of the program under Goodson's direction is evident with a glance at the Eagles all-time record book as the top 10 all-time marks for womens 5K and 6K and mens 5K, 8K and 10K were established by runners from the Goodson era. Two of those notable runners are Kelly Perzanowski and Argeo Cruz, both of whom Goodson recruited and coached to the an elite level. Cruz now serves as an assistant coach on Goodson's staff.  Perzanowski Highlights:  Improved her 5k time from 18:38 to 17:20  University of Florida Invitational champion, besting every runner from SEC teams UF, Tennessee, Auburn and South Carolina  2010 A-Sun All-Freshman Team  2012 A-Sun Second Team  2013 A-Sun Conference Champion  Placed 14th in the Southeast Region in 2013 to earn All-Region honors (first time in school history) Cruz Highlights:  Improved his 5k time from 15:36 to 14:31  2010 A-Sun All-Freshman Team  2011 A-Sun Second Team  2013 A-Sun First Team  Placed in the top 25 in the Southeast Region in 2013 to earn All-Region honors (first time in school history) Goodson's success goes beyond individual accolades as her teams have posted several firsts over the past few years, including:  Women's team ranked 12th in the region in 2015, achieving the program's first and highest regional ranking.   Mens team ranked 14th in the region in 2013 for the first time in program history.  Mens team ranked 3rd in the nation among school with only cross country.  Womens team ranked 2nd in the nation (Northwestern) among schools with only cross country programs. In addition to team and individual successes, Goodson's clubs have also achieved at a high level in the classroom, as noted below:  Maintained an overall team GPA of above 3.0 every year as a head coach.  USTFCCCA Team All-Academic Award from 2014-16.  77 A-Sun All-Academic honorees. During the 2015 season, the Green and Blue posted program records with a pair of third-place finishes at the A-Sun Conference Championships. The women tied their mark from 2014 while the men bested theirs by one position. Additionally, the women finished in a program-best 13th place at the NCAA South Regional Championships, improving 11 places from their finish at the season-ending meet a year ago. Individually, Lauren Tarovisky finished eighth in the race on the women's side and earned second team all-conference recogntiion, while Troy Clark and Nathan Kandie finished 10th and 11th, respecitively, and also earend second team all-conference recognition. Tarovisky went on to finish 37th at the NCAA meet, good for the second-best mark at the meet in program history. Earlier in the season, she earned the program's third ever A-Sun Runner of the Week honor after a fourth-place individual finish and first-place team finish at the USF Invitational. Collectively, the Eagles set 13 personal records throughout the season and entered the FGCU All-Time Records list on nine occasions. In 2014, Goodson's programs continued their record-breaking success, culiminating at the A-Sun Championships where the women took third place, the program's first-ever mark inside the top three, while the men claimed fourth for the third-consecutive year. During the regular season, the women finished inside the top 10 in all five races, posted a third-place finish and won the Stetson Invitational to begin the year. On the men's side, the team won the South Florida Invitational in its second meet of the year, closed in third place in the Stetson Invitational and posted two fourth-place finishes in the regular season. During the 2013 season, Goodson led the mens team to five top-five finishes, a first-place finish at the Westminster Academy Invite, wins over Miami, LSU and Vanderbilt, a fourth-place finish at conference championships and the programs second trip to NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. The women also placed first at the Westminster Academy Invite and finished two meets in the top-five.  A total 36 personal-bests and 20 individual top-10 finishes were recorded this season. Under Goodsons training seniors Argeo Cruz and Kelly Perzanowski ended 2013 solidifying their titles as the most prolific runners in FGCU history. Finishing first in three races this season, including the A-Sun Championship race, Perzanowski was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Female Runner of the Year, named to the NCAA South All-Region Team and the Atlantic Sun Conference First Team. She reset the FGCU all-time record in both the womens 5k and 6k, twice. Cruz was named to the NCAA South All-Region Team and to the Atlantic Sun Conference First Team while resetting the FGCU all-time record in the both the mens 8k and 10k. Together Cruz and Perzanowski own every school record, all of which were posted during the 2013 season, as well as 44 of the top 60 times. Both Cruz and Perzanowski left FGCU running faster than when they entered as freshmen. After four years with Goodson Perzanowskis personal best 5k time improved from an 18:36 to a 17:21, while Cruz went from a 15:36 to a 14:31. In 2012, Goodson guided the men to five top-five finishes, a program-best fourth place finish at conference championships and the teams first trip to NCAA Southeast Regionals. On Oct. 29th the men were ranked 14th in the South Region poll conducted by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and ended the season listed third in the rankings of NCAA D-I cross country only schools. The women saw a similar success finishing in the top five four times and sending a pair to NCAA Regionals. Cruz, Perzanowski and Barrie Cohen continued to break records and prove the programs ability to compete on a higher level. During the 2011 campaign Goodson led the mens team to three top-five finishes, including a season-opening first place finish at the FGCU Invitational, and top 10 finishes in all six competitions. The womens team saw equal success under her guidance, with top 10 finishes in every meet and three top five finishes. Four womens runners established new personal-best 5K times, while nine mens runners set new personal-bests in 8K events this season. Supplying top finishes for the Eagles all season, sophomore Argeo Cruz and junior Barrie Cohen each earned the programs first-ever Atlantic Sun Runner of Week awards after their performances at the Walt Disney World Classic, running to season-best times at the event. At the A-Sun Conference Championship the Green and Blue ran to a seventh place finish in the womens 5K while the men took eighth overall in the 8K race. Additionally, Goodson coached a pair of mens and womens runners at the NCAA South Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in the Eagles first year of eligibility. In her first three seasons with the Green and Blue, Goodson was constantly moving forward while achieving a slew of program firsts including three overall meet wins and three members named to the A-Sun All-Freshmen teams. Her athletes continually broke program records and posted personal bests. In her inaugural season Goodson paced Megan Thies to a new program record and Kyle Brunette to improve his personal record by almost two minutes. Goodson joined FGCU from the University of Southern Mississippi where she served as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach from 2006-2008. In here two year at Southern Miss Goodsons coaching efforts produced three track and field program records and an NCAA Regional Qualifier.  Under Goodsons direction former Southern Miss track athlete Vincent Tanui improved his 5000m time from a 14:58 to a 14:11 qualifying for NCAA Regionals. Prior to coaching at Southern Miss, Goodson competed professionally throughout the United States in sanctioned USA Track and Field road races. Goodson was a two-year letterwinner with the cross country and track & field programs for the Golden Eagles. She owns two school indoor records in the running events - the 3,000 meter with a time of 10:16.55 and the 5,000 meter with a time of 17:52.65. She also holds the school record in the outdoor 5,000 meters with a time of 17:31.81 and the 10,000 meters with a time of 37:01.65. Goodson helped the Southern Miss team to a second-place finish in 2005 with two fourth-place finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Goodson competed in track and field and cross country for two seasons at Diablo Valley College in Concord, Calif., where she was the most valuable member of her cross country team. She was the NorCal 10,000-meter champion and finished fifth in the state in the same event. She was a four-year letterwinner at Chaminade College Prep, where she was an All-Conference selection for four years. The Chatsworth, Calif., native received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Southern Miss in 2005 and is the daughter of James and of the late Marina Goodson. Goodson and her husband Terrell Harbin welcomed their daughter, Anatasia, in March. She currently serves on an executive committee representing the A-Sun for the USTFCCCA and served as the coaches chair from 2013-15.   Cassandra Goodson Head Coach In her eight seasons at the helm, head coach Cassandra Goodson has taken the FGCU mens and womens cross country teams from their humble beginnings to a competitive D-I program. Highlighted by four finishes in the top half of the Atlantic Sun Conference and five trips to the NCAA South Regional Championships, Goodsons leadership has taken the Green and Blue to the next level. The success of the program under Goodson's direction is evident with a glance at the Eagles all-time record book as the top 10 all-time marks for womens 5K and 6K and mens 5K, 8K and 10K were established by runners from the Goodson era. Two of those notable runners are Kelly Perzanowski and Argeo Cruz, both of whom Goodson recruited and coached to the an elite level. Cruz now serves as an assistant coach on Goodson's staff.  Perzanowski Highlights:  Improved her 5k time from 18:38 to 17:20  University of Florida Invitational champion, besting every runner from SEC teams UF, Tennessee, Auburn and South Carolina  2010 A-Sun All-Freshman Team  2012 A-Sun Second Team  2013 A-Sun Conference Champion  Placed 14th in the Southeast Region in 2013 to earn All-Region honors (first time in school history) Cruz Highlights:  Improved his 5k time from 15:36 to 14:31  2010 A-Sun All-Freshman Team  2011 A-Sun Second Team  2013 A-Sun First Team  Placed in the top 25 in the Southeast Region in 2013 to earn All-Region honors (first time in school history) Goodson's success goes beyond individual accolades as her teams have posted several firsts over the past few years, including:  Women's team ranked 12th in the region in 2015, achieving the program's first and highest regional ranking.   Mens team ranked 14th in the region in 2013 for the first time in program history.  Mens team ranked 3rd in the nation among school with only cross country.  Womens team ranked 2nd in the nation (Northwestern) among schools with only cross country programs. In addition to team and individual successes, Goodson's clubs have also achieved at a high level in the classroom, as noted below:  Maintained an overall team GPA of above 3.0 every year as a head coach.  USTFCCCA Team All-Academic Award from 2014-16.  77 A-Sun All-Academic honorees. During the 2015 season, the Green and Blue posted program records with a pair of third-place finishes at the A-Sun Conference Championships. The women tied their mark from 2014 while the men bested theirs by one position. Additionally, the women finished in a program-best 13th place at the NCAA South Regional Championships, improving 11 places from their finish at the season-ending meet a year ago. Individually, Lauren Tarovisky finished eighth in the race on the women's side and earned second team all-conference recogntiion, while Troy Clark and Nathan Kandie finished 10th and 11th, respecitively, and also earend second team all-conference recognition. Tarovisky went on to finish 37th at the NCAA meet, good for the second-best mark at the meet in program history. Earlier in the season, she earned the program's third ever A-Sun Runner of the Week honor after a fourth-place individual finish and first-place team finish at the USF Invitational. Collectively, the Eagles set 13 personal records throughout the season and entered the FGCU All-Time Records list on nine occasions. In 2014, Goodson's programs continued their record-breaking success, culiminating at the A-Sun Championships where the women took third place, the program's first-ever mark inside the top three, while the men claimed fourth for the third-consecutive year. During the regular season, the women finished inside the top 10 in all five races, posted a third-place finish and won the Stetson Invitational to begin the year. On the men's side, the team won the South Florida Invitational in its second meet of the year, closed in third place in the Stetson Invitational and posted two fourth-place finishes in the regular season. During the 2013 season, Goodson led the mens team to five top-five finishes, a first-place finish at the Westminster Academy Invite, wins over Miami, LSU and Vanderbilt, a fourth-place finish at conference championships and the programs second trip to NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. The women also placed first at the Westminster Academy Invite and finished two meets in the top-five.  A total 36 personal-bests and 20 individual top-10 finishes were recorded this season. Under Goodsons training seniors Argeo Cruz and Kelly Perzanowski ended 2013 solidifying their titles as the most prolific runners in FGCU history. Finishing first in three races this season, including the A-Sun Championship race, Perzanowski was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Female Runner of the Year, named to the NCAA South All-Region Team and the Atlantic Sun Conference First Team. She reset the FGCU all-time record in both the womens 5k and 6k, twice. Cruz was named to the NCAA South All-Region Team and to the Atlantic Sun Conference First Team while resetting the FGCU all-time record in the both the mens 8k and 10k. Together Cruz and Perzanowski own every school record, all of which were posted during the 2013 season, as well as 44 of the top 60 times. Both Cruz and Perzanowski left FGCU running faster than when they entered as freshmen. After four years with Goodson Perzanowskis personal best 5k time improved from an 18:36 to a 17:21, while Cruz went from a 15:36 to a 14:31. In 2012, Goodson guided the men to five top-five finishes, a program-best fourth place finish at conference championships and the teams first trip to NCAA Southeast Regionals. On Oct. 29th the men were ranked 14th in the South Region poll conducted by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and ended the season listed third in the rankings of NCAA D-I cross country only schools. The women saw a similar success finishing in the top five four times and sending a pair to NCAA Regionals. Cruz, Perzanowski and Barrie Cohen continued to break records and prove the programs ability to compete on a higher level. During the 2011 campaign Goodson led the mens team to three top-five finishes, including a season-opening first place finish at the FGCU Invitational, and top 10 finishes in all six competitions. The womens team saw equal success under her guidance, with top 10 finishes in every meet and three top five finishes. Four womens runners established new personal-best 5K times, while nine mens runners set new personal-bests in 8K events this season. Supplying top finishes for the Eagles all season, sophomore Argeo Cruz and junior Barrie Cohen each earned the programs first-ever Atlantic Sun Runner of Week awards after their performances at the Walt Disney World Classic, running to season-best times at the event. At the A-Sun Conference Championship the Green and Blue ran to a seventh place finish in the womens 5K while the men took eighth overall in the 8K race. Additionally, Goodson coached a pair of mens and womens runners at the NCAA South Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in the Eagles first year of eligibility. In her first three seasons with the Green and Blue, Goodson was constantly moving forward while achieving a slew of program firsts including three overall meet wins and three members named to the A-Sun All-Freshmen teams. Her athletes continually broke program records and posted personal bests. In her inaugural season Goodson paced Megan Thies to a new program record and Kyle Brunette to improve his personal record by almost two minutes. Goodson joined FGCU from the University of Southern Mississippi where she served as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach from 2006-2008. In here two year at Southern Miss Goodsons coaching efforts produced three track and field program records and an NCAA Regional Qualifier.  Under Goodsons direction former Southern Miss track athlete Vincent Tanui improved his 5000m time from a 14:58 to a 14:11 qualifying for NCAA Regionals. Prior to coaching at Southern Miss, Goodson competed professionally throughout the United States in sanctioned USA Track and Field road races. Goodson was a two-year letterwinner with the cross country and track & field programs for the Golden Eagles. She owns two school indoor records in the running events - the 3,000 meter with a time of 10:16.55 and the 5,000 meter with a time of 17:52.65. She also holds the school record in the outdoor 5,000 meters with a time of 17:31.81 and the 10,000 meters with a time of 37:01.65. Goodson helped the Southern Miss team to a second-place finish in 2005 with two fourth-place finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Goodson competed in track and field and cross country for two seasons at Diablo Valley College in Concord, Calif., where she was the most valuable member of her cross country team. She was the NorCal 10,000-meter champion and finished fifth in the state in the same event. She was a four-year letterwinner at Chaminade College Prep, where she was an All-Conference selection for four years. The Chatsworth, Calif., native received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Southern Miss in 2005 and is the daughter of James and of the late Marina Goodson. Goodson and her husband Terrell Harbin welcomed their daughter, Anatasia, in March. She currently serves on an executive committee representing the A-Sun for the USTFCCCA and served as the coaches chair from 2013-15.  

Argeo Cruz joins the Green & Blue again after being the assistant coach from 2014 to 2021 under the leadership of Cassandra Goodson. He earned that position after four years as a stellar student-athlete for the Eagles, earning Atlantic Sun Conference honors and setting numerous program records. This past season Cruz produced FGCU's first National Race qualifier, as Ozia Trujillo became the first Eagle to compete in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri. She earned a spot in the national race with a standout performance at the NCAA South Regionals by running a program-record and personal-best 19:45 to place 11th in the women's 6K out of 202 athletes. Her time shattered the previous FGCU record of 20:38.9 set by Kelly Perzanowski at the 2013 South Regionals and marked the highest individual finish by any Eagle, male or female. Trujillo ran 16:20 to set a new ASUN Championship record in the women's 5K and she earned ASUN Runner of the Year honors and a spot on the ASUN First Team. Trujillo cut a remarkable 47 seconds off her previous personal best of 17:07.7 and secured FGCU's first individual conference title since 2013. She also helped guide the women's team to a fourth place finish at the ASUN Championship.    Cruz had a positive impact at FGCU within a couple of months after crossing the graduation stage as the assistant coach as the women's team took bronze at the 2014 ASUN Championship meet while the men finished fourth.  Both finishes were good for then-program records. The women ran to a first-place finish at the season-opening Stetson Invitational, while the men crossed the finish line first at the USF Invitational.  One year later, in 2015, Cruz helped the Eagles to a pair of program-best finishes as both the men's and women's teams finished third at the ASUN championship race. Neither team finished outside the top five in a regular season race all season, while the women earned a team win at the USF Invitational. Additionally, the women finished in a program-best 13th at the NCAA South Region Championship.    During the 2016 season, Cruz helped runner Luka Ndungu lead the men's team to a trio of first-place finishes and its first regional ranking since 2012. FGCU also saw its most student-athletes receive ASUN All-Conference recognition in the same season with three taking home first and second-team honors, with men's runners also placing in the top 100 at the NCAA South Region Championship for the first time in program history. In 2017, the Eagles garnered three All-ASUN honors from runners, highlighted by Carley Lutzow on the women's team who received First Team honors as she finished 7th overall at the ASUN Championships. Also on the women's side, Carlin Berryhill earned ASUN Second Team honors. Newcomer Cole Pruim landed on the All-Freshman team with the men's squad. The 2018 season saw the men's program capture two regular season road meets (FAU, USF) and the women's best overall finish (second) came at USF to end the regular season.  At the ASUN Championships, the women placed fourth overall, led by Carley Lutzow, who finished third individually as she was received First Team honors. On the men's side, the pack placed fifth overall, led by Jan Figueroa, as he crossed the finished line 25th overall.  In 2019, the men's team produced three top-ten finishes and earned a fourth-place finish at the ASUN Championship, with Lucas Kiprotich and Austin Redondo receiving ASUN Second-Team honors (8th and 13th) after placing inside the top-14.     During his time at FGCU (2010-2014), Cruz was a four-year letter-winner for the Eagles. He racked up ASUN honors (ASUN All-Freshman team, ASUN Academic All-Conference team) and often etched his name in the FGCU record book by setting the 5k, 8k and 10k records. Cruz led FGCU in an incredible 12 of 14 races in his last two seasons. In his senior season, Cruz capped his career by being named to the ASUN First Team and NCAA South All-Region Team, (first in program history). He was crowned the ASUN Runner of the Week in October and placed first overall at the UCF Black and Gold Invite.  Cruz, a two-time Dean's List member, graduated from FGCU in the summer of 2014 with a degree in community health. Updated 01/22/26