Collectively, Longwood men’s and women’s cross country competed in their 8K and 6K runs, respectively, against top-ranked teams like No. 26 Florida State and Virginia Tech, who received votes in the latest national coaches poll.
"It was a really good day for our team," said Longwood cross country head coach Catherine Hanson on the Longwood athletics official website. "We faced some really high-level competition and held our own.”
After a late schedule change on Friday, Sept. 18, the teams traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia to run in the Hokies’ invitational instead of holding their only scheduled home meet of the season.
Longwood seniors Russell Reed and junior Gracie Piekarski each led their teams by placing in the top 75 runners.
Reed finished in 26:21.03, placing 66thout of 140 between East Tennessee State and Indiana opponents. The men’s leader, Florida State senior Zak Sedden, ended at the 24:50.59 minute mark.
Piekarski recorded a 23:56.12 time, finishing alongside Floride State and Ohio runners at 62nd out of 118. The fastest women’s runner, Florida State senior Georgia Peel, crossed the line at 21:01.43.
“To be in the mix competing against so many great programs and to have the performances we had today speaks to the dedication of this group. They really pushed through a difficult situation, running on a new course and doing it next to some very big names," said Hanson on the Longwood athletics official website.
The Lancers will run their next two meets in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The first North Carolina meet will take place this upcoming Saturday, Sept. 25 in the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational hosted by University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
