10.11.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University men's and women's cross country was idle from competition this past week.  The Lancers, coached by fifth-year head coach Catherine Hanson, return to action this week and will participate in the Blue Ridge Open hosted by Appalachian State University on Friday, October 14, in Boone, North Carolina at 3 p.m.

A Quick Look Back At The Charlotte Invitational
Longwood placed 20th among 36 teams in the women's race as junior Alisha Royal|Vinton (William Byrd) led the way with her school-record and personal career-best time 18:22 over the 5,000-meter course.  She placed 46th among 289 runners with her record time that bettered her own previous record of 18:23 ran two weeks ago at the adidas Challenge (9.16) in Cary, North Carolina.  Royal was followed by senior Jessica Alley|New Castle (Craig County) (19:34, 125th), freshman Elisabeth Drake|Hayes (Gloucester) (20:06, 152nd), along with juniors Megan Short|Sicklerville, N.J. (Timber Creek) (20:16, 160th) and Jenna Sprinkle|Buchanan (James River) (21:50, 227th).  Alley posted the 10th-fastest 5K in the program's history, while Drake, Short, and Baxley each ran collegiate-best times for the distance.

Longwood placed 28th among 34 teams in the men's race as freshman Stephen Ferguson|Columbia (Goochland) led the way with his 26:56 over the 8,000-meter course.  He placed 116th among 260 runners and is the first freshman under Coach Hanson to run under 27:00 for the 8K.  Ferguson was followed by freshman Trey Thomas|Stafford (Mountain View) (28:32, 190th), sophomore Kyle Moller|Gainesville (Battlefield) (28:47, 196th), freshman Matt Wallace|Lynchburg (Brookville) (28:52, 201st), and senior Robert Webb|Williamsburg (Lafayette) (28:55, 202nd).  Moller ran a new collegiate-best time for the 8K, while Thomas (making his Longwood debut) and Wallace were running the distance for the first time as Lancers.

Head Coach Catherine Hanson
“We are excited to return to Appalachian State this year.  We did not travel there in 2010 due to the level of competition at this meet.  This year, however, I feel we are ready to be more competitive at the Gold Race level.  There are two races this year, the Gold and the Open; in previous years, we have entered the open race. The course is a nice mix of pea gravel, grass and asphalt as well as a good mix of flats and rolling inclines.  We have been running and training on some pretty hilly areas to prepare for this meet.

“The women will run their last 5K of the year and the men will run the 8K distance.  I am looking for Jessica to step up and run with Alisha, while Megan and Elisabeth have been training well together and should also have a good day in terms of running faster times.  On the men's side, I am looking for Stephen, Nick, Trey, Justin, and Kyle to round out the top five.”

A Look Ahead At The Blue Ridge Open
The event will take place at the Appalachian State University State Farm Fields in Boone, North Carolina.  The meet will feature a women's 5,000-meter race at 3 p.m., followed by a men's 8,000-meter race at approximately 3:45 p.m.  The 2010 meet featured 18 women's teams and 18 men's squads with 150-plus runners per race.

It's Royal's Time
Alisha Royal established a new 5K school record for the second-straight race with her 18:22 posted at the Charlotte Invitational (9.30) and led the Lancers for the third-consecutive event.  Her time was one second faster than her own previous record of 18:23 ran at the adidas Cross Country Challenge (9.16) in Cary, North Carolina.  It's a well-deserved record for the third-year runner who has battled nagging injuries during her first two years while finishing just two races. This year, however, Royal is injury-free and has not only finished three races, but has led the team in each of them.

Joining The Record Book
A total of five runners joined the Longwood Cross Country record book with their respective performances at the adidas Challenge (9.16).  As mentioned, Alisha Royal set, at the time, a new school record for the women's 5K, now the second-fastest time, and Jessica Alley posted what was the fourth-fastest 5K time in school history, now the fifth-fastest.  On the men's side, Nick Reed ran the second-fastest 5K time in the program's history, while junior Sean Flynn|Goodview (Roanoke Catholic) and Stephen Ferguson ran the fourth (tie) and ninth-best 5K times, respectively.

2011 Captains
Senior Justin Cooke|Chesterfield (Manchester) will serve as the men's team captain for the first time this year, while Jessica Alley is serving as the women's team captain for the second consecutive season.

Up Next
Longwood will be idle for about a month before participating in the NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by the University of Louisville on November 12 in Kentucky beginning at 11 a.m.