NEW MARKET, Va. – The youth movement continued for Longwood cross country at the James Madison Invitational, as a crop of young Lancers led the way for both the men's and women's teams at New Market Battlefield Saturday morning.
 
Taking on one of their toughest courses of the fall, Longwood's top five finishers on both the men's and women's side were made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores, continuing a trend from opening weekend in which members of first-year head coach Daniel Wooten's inaugural class led both squads.
 
Longwood repeated that feat again Saturday at the JMU-hosted event, placing two men's freshmen in the top 25 of the 87-runner men's 8K and two more women's freshmen among the top half of the 74-runner women's 5,200-meter.

"Overall both teams did very well today. The course was wet, and JMU tends to be a little harder than some of the races we will see this year," Wooten said. "That being said, I think the JMU course provides great experience to our runners because it forces them to think about pacing and attacking the course at the same time. I think last week both teams were feelings things out, but today I actually saw them begin to race with some confidence.

"Additionally, we had another strong showing from our Lancer Parents which always adds a layer of motivation for our athletes. I am looking forward to seeing both our men and women progress as our work outs begin to ramp up over the next few weeks."

Freshmen Nick Howell (27:43.00) and Sage Church (28:13.00) continued to assert themselves as pack leaders for the Longwood men, placing 16th and 25th in their collegiate 8K debut. Fellow freshman Noel Preece (28:31.00) and Ryan Miller (28:35.00) followed Howell and Church in 31st and 34th out of 87 runners, helping the Lancer men to a fifth-place finish at the nine-team event.
 
Howell's time of 27:43.00 was Longwood's fastest by a freshman at the JMU Invitational since Seth Taylor ran a 26:53 in 2012 and the program's fifth-fastest by a freshman at the event since 2003.
 
Their collective push was enough to propel Longwood over four teams in the final standings, as the Lancers finished ahead of Shenandoah, Southern Virginia, Eastern Mennonite and Randolph. Longwood trailed fourth-place Howard by just seven points and 1.80 seconds.
 
In the women's 5,200m, newcomers Maddie Foster (22:23.00) and Lindsey Gordon (22:28.00) took top team honors for the Lancers, placing 32nd and 34th. They were two of three Lancers to break the 23-minute mark, joining Williams whose 22:57.00 earned her a 41st place finish. Freshman Cicely Dunaway also earned a top-50 finish, coming in at 45th with a time of 23:19.00.

"As a team we had a strong performance," said women's sophomore and team captain Casey Williams. "This course is one of the toughest we will run this year, and everyone put their all into the race. We can't wait for the rest of the season."
 
The race is the second in a span of three consecutive race weekends for the Lancers, who follow at next Friday's Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational, hosted by Virginia in Earlysville, Va.
 
James Madison Invitational
September 8, 2018
New Market, Va. (New Market Battlefield)
 
Men's Team Results (8K)
1. Saint Francis (18 points, 26:41.20)
2. VMI (62 points, 27:31.80)
3. Washington and Lee (66 points, 27:43.00)
4. Howard (123 points, 28:36.00)
5. Longwood (130 points, 28:37.80)
6. Shenandoah (184 points, 30:01.80)
7. Southern Virginia (186 points, 30:35.60)
8. Eastern Mennonite (229 points, 32:34.20)
9. Randolph (229 points, 31:39.40)
 
Men's Individual Results (87 participants)
16. Nick Howell (27:43.00)
25. Sage Church (28:13.00)
31. Noel Preece (28:31.00)
34. Ryan Miller (28:35.00)
54. Chrishon Dollard (30:07.00)
61. John Bapties (31:03.00)
78. Mason Burba (33:56.00)
79. Nick O'Keeffe (34:00.00)
84. Curran Atkinson (37:01.00)
 
Women's Team Results (5,200m)
1. James Madison (21 points, 19:57.40)
2. Saint Francis (36 points ,20:14.60)
3. VMI (84 points, 21:17.80)
4. Howard (22:36.20)
5. Shenandoah (158 points, 22:42.20)
6. Eastern Mennonite (160 points, 23:20.20)
7. Longwood (173 points, 23:03.20)
 
Women's Individual Results (74 participants)
32. Maddie Foster (22:23.00)
34. Lindsey Gordon (22:28.00)
41. Casey Williams (22:57.00)
45. Cicely Dunaway (23:19.00)
53. Jessica Faulk (24:09.00)
54. Brooke Dippold (24:13.00)
61. Mary Grace Currey (25:22.00)
64. M.E. Lazorchak (26:07.00)
67. Kristen Lambert (27:01.00)
 
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