GAINESVILLE - A handful of area cross country graduates competed at their first major collegiate competition at Saturday’s Mountain Dew Invitational held at the University of Florida’s Mark Bostick Golf Course with Fleming Island High grad Evan Fuller taking top Clay County honors for Flagler College.

Flagler, finishing fifth in the all divisions team scores behind Florida, North Florida, Embry-Riddle and Saint Leo, had two area harriers in Fuller, who finished 44th in 27 minutes, 10.52 seconds to take the second slot for Flagler, and freshman Joel Nesi, a Ridgeview High graduate, who finished 56th in 27:28.75 for the five mile course.

Against NCAA Division II teams, Flagler took third behind Embry Riddle and Saint Leo; 142-168-182. Flagler’s top finisher was Marcus Graham, a junior transfer from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, in 13th in 26:13.4. Graham was 22nd in last year’s junior college national championship race in 26;51.5.

Two spots behind Nesi, St. Johns Country Day School graduate Benjamin Kailes, a walk-on freshman at University of South Florida, finished in 58th in 27:29.87 to be the Bulls second fastest runner. Kailes’ finished after getting severely spiked at the start of the race, falling and causing his first restart. Kailes had numerous ankle lacerations after the incident, but still ran a strong race.

The overall winner of the race was former Bishop Kenny ace Nathan Jubran, who dominated from the start with a 25:23.62 split to lead the University of North Florida team to their second place finish. Jubran, a sophomore at UNF, was a third place finisher for Bishop Kenny at the Class 2A championship race in 2017 plus a state champion in the 3200 on the track.

Also running the Mountain Dew race on Saturday, in their college race openers; Alex Guy, of Keystone Heights, now a freshman at Florida Southern, finished in 98th place in 28:03.85 to be the Mocs fifth finisher; John Bear, of Orange Park High School and Florida State College of Jacksonville, finished in 103rd in 28:16.70, and Gage West, a Fleming Island High graduate, now also at FSCJ, who finished in 30:59.67 for 222nd place.

In the girls race, Fleming Island High graduate Grayson Iller, now a freshman at Embry-Riddle, finished 156th in 21:27.1 for the 5K (3.1 miles) course.

Winner Jessica Pascoe, of Florida, won in 16:54.8 to lead the Lady Gators to the team title over University of Tampa and University of North Florida. Embry Riddle was seventh.