Charlotte Invitational: Men's Results (PDF)
Charlotte Invitational: Women's Results (PDF)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Longwood men's frontrunners Russell Reed and Leon Beard and women's leader Gracie Piekarski all recorded top-50 finishes at the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational Friday evening on the McAlpine Creek Park course.
 
Reed took 32nd out of the 107-runner field to clock Longwood's highest finish of the day for the third straight race. The Onema, Va., native's time of 27:12.3 on the 8,000-meter course was the second highest among Longwood's travel party, trailing only former Lancer Nick Reed, now an undergraduate coach who raced unattached and placed 19th with a time of 26:38.1.
 
Following the Reeds was the sophomore Beard, who came in 48th with a time of 27:52.2. The Chesterfield, Va., finished as Longwood's No. 2 for the third time this season.
 
On the women's side, Piekarski also led Longwood for the third straight race and placed 39th with a time of 24:01.0. Dating back to the start of her sophomore campaign in 2014, Piekarski has finished No. 1 or No. 2 for Longwood in nine consecutive races, taking the team's top spot in six of those.
 
"This was our third straight weekend of racing, so it took a strong mental and physical effort to get these times today," Longwood head coach Catherine Hanson said. "We are a little beat up, but the team pushed through regardless. I'm really proud of the effort, especially since a lot of our performances have come in adverse weather and course conditions."
 
Along with those top finishers, six Longwood runners improved on their times from last Friday's Virginia tech Alumni Invitational. Women's junior Anna Butrowicz made the biggest jump, shaving more than 47 seconds off her last 6K mark with a 28:41.5 in Charlotte. Erica Mawyer (29:14.4) also made a 24-second climb, followed by a 23-second improvement from Judy May (32:01.5) and a 19-second jump from 70th-place finisher Kelsey Peace (26:23.5).
 
On the men's side, Johnny Leder trailed Reed and Leon Beard en route to 56th place with a time of 28:21.9. He was followed by Marc Mawyer, whose 29:42.9 was good enough for 79th place, and Andrew Lanier (30:24.4) and John Bapteis (32:00.3). Both Lanier and Bapteis made improvements of more than 20 seconds on their previous 8K times as well.
 
Those performances propelled the Longwood men to an eighth-place finish in a field of 11, and the women to a seventh-place day out of 10 entries.
 
Next up for the Lancers is the Hagan Stone XC Classic at Hagan Stone Park in Greensboro, N.C.
 
Charlotte XC Invitational
September 25, 2015
Charlotte, N.C. (McAlpine Creek Park)
 
Longwood Men's Individual Results (8K – 107 entries)
*19. Nick Reed (26:38.1) – UNATTACHED
32. Russell Reed (27:12.3)
48. Leon Beard (27:52.2)
56. John Leder (28:21.9)
79. Marc Mawyer (29:42.9)
84. Andrew Lanier (30:24.4)
91. John Bapteis (32:00.3)
 
Men's Team Results
1. Charlotte (2:09.05)
2. Emory (2:11.20)
3. SCAD Savannah (2:13.09)
4. Milligan (2:16.24)
5. College of Charleston (2:16.21)
6. UNC Greensboro (2:23.08)
7. Montreat (2:22.07)
8. Longwood (2:23.34)
9. Webber (2:26.57)
10. Allen (2:46.19)
11. Johnson C. Smith (3:10.02)
 
Longwood Women's Individual Results (6K – 107 entries)
39. Gracie Piekarski (24:01.0)
70. Kelsey Peace (26:23.5)
86. Anna Butrowicz (28:41.6)
88. Erica Mawyer (29:14.4)
102. Judy May (32:01.5)
 
Women's Team Results
1. Davidson (1:53.24)
2. Charlotte (1:53.54)
3. College of Charleston (1:55.06)
4. Emory (1:56.52)
5. Milligan (1:58.13)
6. SCAD Savannah (2:02.33)
7. Longwood (2:20.22)
8. Johnson C. Smith (2:20.36)
9. UNC Greensboro (2:24.47)
10. Webber (2:26.53)

#GoWood