Longwood University Athletics

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  – Three years into her collegiate racing career, Longwood junior Casey Williams has yet to find her ceiling.
 
The latest plateau-breaking run for the ace of the Lancer women's cross country team came Friday at the Queen City Invitational where she crushed her 5K personal-best by nearly a full minute en route to a top-50 finish and a time of 19:18 at McAlpine Creek Park.
 
That performance marked Williams' third consecutive PR after she opened the year with a 4K that was the third fastest in Longwood history and followed with what was formerly her 5K personal best of 20:08.54 at the Big South Preview in Buies Creek, N.C., on Sept. 14.
 
Friday in Charlotte, Williams blew that mark away by 50 seconds to place 43rd out of 316 runners at the 39-team race hosted by Queens University of Charlotte. That finish marked the first time since Nov. 28, 2016 that a Longwood runner broke the 5K 20-minute plateau, making her the first Lancer since Gracie Piekarski's 19:47.34 at the Big South Championship to meet that benchmark.

"It was an exciting day watching Casey finally break into the 19s," head coach Daniel Wooten said. "This has been a goal she set since coming in as a freshman, and her hard work paid huge dividends on a pretty hot day. 

"In addition, it was good to see Sam [Sager] and Brooke [Dippold] set some personal bests as well. We have some others on the team who have set big goals, and I think we are just waiting for what we are seeing in practice to translate into a solid performance on the course. That said, we have some pretty good workouts planned to closet he season out, and I'm confident we will be ready come November."
 
Williams was one of three Lancers to set personal bests at the Queen City Invitational, leading women's teammate Brooke Dippold, who clocked a 22:26, and Longwood men's runner Sam Sager, who ran a 28:02 in the 8K. Dippold was Longwood's third-place team finisher behind freshman Grace Puleo, who ran a 20:34 to help Williams in sending the women to a 21st-place finish.
 
Like his freshman counterpart Puleo, Sager maintained his position at the front of Longwood's pack, leading the Lancer men for the second time in his first three collegiate races. He placed 115th overall, leading the sophomore duo of Nick Howell and Sage Church, who placed 140th and 179th, respectively. Chrishon Dollard followed in 203rd place, followed by Nick O'Keefe in 273rd and Zachary Lam in 290th.
 
Also among the Longwood women's finishers behind Williams, Puleo and Dippold were sophomore Lindsey Gordon in 208th and newcomer Diana Smith in 222nd in her first collegiate race.
 
The Queen City Invitational sets the stage for Longwood's final tuneup before the Big South Championship, which will be the VertCross Invitational hosted by High Point on Friday, Oct. 18.
 
Queen City Invitational
September 27, 2019
Charlotte, N.C. (McAlpine Creek Park)
 
Men's Team Top 10 (42 teams, 8K)
1. Augusta (25:07, 21 points)
2. Milligan (25:55, 89 points)
3. Flagler (25:58, 109 points)
4. Anderson (26:17, 142 points)
5. Montreat (26:36, 204 points)
6. College of Charleston (26:39, 206 points)
7. Western Carolina (26:45, 224 points)
8. Furman (26:52, 260 points)
9. Florida Tech (27:04, 315 points)
10. Lenoir-Rhyne (27:13, 318 points)
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28. Longwood (30:02, 768 points)
 
Longwood Men's Individual Results (327 participants)
115. Sam Sager (28:02, 98 points)
140. Nick Howell (28:29, 122 points)
179. Sage Church (29:32, 155 points)
203. Chrishon Dollard (30:09, 172 points)
273. Nick O'Keeffe (34:01, 221 points)
290. Zachary Lam (35:39, 231 points)
 
Longwood Women's Team Results (39 teams, 5K)
1. James Madison (18:24, 41 points)
2. Milligan (18:38, 86 points)
3. College of Charleston (19:03, 165 points)
4. Flagler (19:02, 166 points)
5. North Georgia (19:06, 186 points)
6. Lenoir-Rhyne (19:13, 210 points)
7. Western Carolina (19:14, 215 points)
8. Liberty (19:27, 257 points)
9. Augusta (19:24, 258 points)
10. Anderson (19:37, 287 points)
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21. Longwood (21:58, 653 points)
 
Longwood Women's Individual Results (316 participants)
43. Casey Williams (19:18, 40 points)
113. Grace Puleo (20:34, 99 points)
188. Brooke DIppold (22:26, 160 points)
208. Lindsey Gordon (23:20, 171 points)
222. Diana Smith (24:13, 183 points)
 
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