10.4.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University men's and women's cross country ran in the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational on September 30 at the historic McAlpine Park in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The women placed 20th among 36 teams, and the men finished 28th among 34 teams.  The Lancers, coached by fifth-year head coach Catherine Hanson, will not run this week but will return to action at the Blue Ridge Open hosted by Appalachian State University on 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 Cross Country 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), juniors Megan Short|Sicklerville, N.J. (Timber Creek) (20:16, 160th) and Jenna Sprinkle|Buchanan (James River) (21:50, 227th), along with sophomores Crystal Baxley|Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (22:12, 239th) and Emberli McGann|Stuarts Draft (Stuarts Draft) (23:40, 259th).  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), seniors Robert Webb|Williamsburg (Lafayette) (28:55, 202nd) and Justin Cooke|Chesterfield (Manchester) (28:55, 203rd), along with freshman Nick Reed|Fairfax (Robinson) (29:15, 215th).  Moller ran a new collegiate-best time for the 8K, while Thomas (making his Longwood debut), Wallace, and Reed were running the distance for the first time as Lancers.  Also running in Charlotte during the 80-man men's B race were senior Alex Strittmater|Haymarket (Battlefield) (29:39, 47th), freshman Ryan Canoy|Williamsburg (Bruton) (29:48, 52nd), and senior Anthony Caldwell|Charlottesville (Manchester) (31:11, 68th).  Canoy and Caldwell were running the 8K for the first time as collegians.  Reed, who had led Longwood in each of the past two races, suffered an injury during the race on a tight turn at the bottom of a hill but still finished for his team.

Head Coach Catherine Hanson
“The women had a great day!  Their 20th-place finish in a meet with such depth is terrific.  The girls are getting stronger, faster and staying healthy.  I am very excited for us!  Alisha broke the school record again by one second and set a new personal-best, while Short and Drake each had personal-bests as well.

“The freshmen really came through for the men's team at McAlpine Park.  Running the first true 8K of the season on a flat course was a great learning experience for them … that flat does not always mean easy!   The competition was immense, and it was great to see them out there competing so well.  As a whole, I think the men were happy with their individual performances.  Without Sean, it put some pressure for the other boys to move up, which in fact is a good thing.”

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 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 Challenge (9.16).  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.  Unfortunately, Flynn is currently out of the lineup with an injury.

2011 Captains
Justin Cooke is serving as the men's team captain for the first time, while Jessica Alley is the women's team captain for the second consecutive season.

Up Next
Longwood will participate in the Cavalier Invitational hosted by the University of Virginia on November 4 in Charlottesville at 4 p.m.