CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In the final cross country race of his record-setting career, Longwood men's senior runner Leon Beard Jr. clocked the second-fastest 10K time in school history to lead the Lancers at the NCAA Southeast Regionals Friday afternoon at Panorama Farms.
 
Beard fell just shy of beating his own 10K school record, finishing at 32:43.3 which was just over five seconds behind the 32:38 he ran at last year's NCAA Southeast Regional. It was Beard's school-record fifth top-five time in school history.
 
"I just want to say I'm happy with the way I ended my cross country collegiate career today," said Beard, who finished as Longwood's top runner in the final 10 races he ran, including three consecutive regionals. "A lot of hard work paid off, and I thank my teammates and especially coach [Catherine] Hanson for pushing me these past four years to become the runner I am today."
 
A native of Chesterfield, Va., Beard concludes his career with the No. 1 (32:38) and No. 2 (32:43.3) times on Longwood's all-time 10K list, and the No. 2 (19:38.9) and two No. 3 (20:03) times on Longwood's 6K list. Those five top-five times are the most by a single runner on Longwood's all-time leaderboard, surpassing the four currently held by his former teammate Nick Reed.
 
Beard also joins Reed as the only two Lancers to currently occupy top-two times in multiple events in Longwood's record books.
 
Longwood women's freshman Casey Williams extended a top-team-finish streak of her own, crossing the finish line as the first Lancer in her fifth straight race. The Suffolk, Va., product ran a 27:16.6 in her second career 6K to finish ahead of fellow Lancers Miranda Wilson (28:00.9), Kasey Laign (29:19.6), Madison Winters (29:42.8) and M.E. Lazorchak (31:48.7).
 
The Regional run was the NCAA postseason debut for all five of Longwood's women's runners, as well as men's freshman Jon Swartout, who finished his first collegiate 10K in 36:30.4.
 
NCAA Southeast Regional
November 10, 2017
Charlottesville, Va. (Panorama Farms)
 
Longwood Men's Individual Results (10K – 230 participants)
160. Leon Beard Jr. (32:43.3)
230. Jon Swartout (36:30.4)
 
Longwood Women's Individual Results (6K – 257 participants)
251. Casey Williams (27:16.6)
253. Miranda Wilson (28:00.9)
255. Kasey Laign (29:19.6)
256. Madison Winters (29:42.8)
257. M.E. Lazorchak (31:48.7)

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