Susan Kuijken, Florida State women's cross country team look for third straight ACC title

Florida State cross country star Susan Kuijken didn’t race all fall before the Pre-National meet on Oct. 17, but the layoff was planned for her to be at her best at the most important time of the season.

That would be for the end of the season, which is fast approaching.

The Seminoles head to the ACC championships on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. looking for their third straight title and, it’s no coincidence, Kuijken is looking for her third straight individual ACC title.

“I started the season a bit later because of the long summer,’’ she said, referring to an international meet she raced in on Aug. 18. “I’ve never started this late, actually.

“The girls were already in their preseason training camp and I was still taking my two weeks off (in August). That was crazy. And then they were getting into workouts and I just started doing easy runs, so I felt like I was behind all the time. But I’ve finally caught up and I’ve been training with the girls and I’m confident that this season is going to be even better than last year’s.’’

The goal is to peak by the NCAA finale on Nov. 23 and she’s looking to take the next step toward that end now. Two weeks ago, she finished second to Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, sticking to the game plan and running with teammates, Pasca Cheruiyot (seventh) and Pilar McShine (20th) as the Seminoles finished second overall.

“I think it really helped the confidence of our team,’’ said Kuijken, who also had to battle through some minor injuries that slowed her training a bit. “We’re going to need that for the ACC. We need to know we can run together.’’

Meanwhile, Matt Leeder, Daniel Roberts, Ciaran O’Lionard and Wes Rickman, who led the men’s team to an eighth-place finish at the Pre-National meet, look to lead FSU to a strong showing at the ACC and continue building momentum. FSU was fourth last year.