Longwood University Athletics

FULL RESULTS: Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational
 
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Just one race into the season, Longwood's cross country runners are already giving their celebratory "PR Bell" a workout.
 
In their opening run of the 2021 spring at the Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational, three Lancer men logged the fastest times of their careers, and two Lancer women just missed theirs by seconds at Winthrop's home course at Winthrop Farm.
 
Squaring off against a field of Big South foes in a race that served as a preview of the upcoming 2021 Big South Championship, men's sophomores Shahmique Cromwell and Zachary Lam and junior Nick O'Keeffe showcased their offseason gains by setting personal bests in their first official races of 2020-21. Meanwhile, women's sophomore Grace Puleo missed her PR by less than two seconds, and freshman Bailey Deaver neared her best as well.
 
"Coming into this race, our plan was to use it as a fact-finding mission for our conference championship and to just enjoy having competition back," said Longwood head coach Brooke Craig, who oversaw the team in her first official race as head coach after being promoted from her role as an assistant coach in January of 2020.
 
"A lot has happened in a year since we competed. We've grown and changed as a team, and I think we are stronger and more united because of the pandemic. This was a workout for them, and they still have another three weeks of tough work before we taper for conference."
 
More than a year in the making after the Lancers' traditional fall schedule was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 10 total Lancers hit the trail as part of an eight-team Big South contingent that will reconvene at the same course for the Big South Championship on March 5. Friday, along with the personal bests, four Lancers made their collegiate debuts, with men's freshman Jack Van Straten, and women's freshmen Deaver, Caroline Fritz and Aislinn Garcia all taking part in the first races of their college careers.
 
On the men's side, sophomore Sam Sager claimed Longwood's top spot with a time of 28:15.1 in his 8K run, coming in just three seconds behind the 28:12.8 he ran at the 2019 Big South Championship meet. Cromwell followed as Longwood's No. 2 finisher with a career-best time of 28:52.4, which was 15 seconds faster than his prior best also set at the 2019 conference title run.
 
Lam trailed Cromwell with a 29:10.0, shaving more than two minutes off his prior best of 31:22.0 at last year's Big South title run, while junior Nick Howell was Longwood's No. 4 finisher with a time of 30:58.8. Howell's junior classmate O'Keefe got his turn on the PR bell as well with a 31:27.9 that was nearly a minute faster than his previous top mark in the 8K.
 
On the women's side, Puleo clocked a team-best 19:53.9 to earn a top-25 finish and just miss besting her 5K PR of 19:51.2 from the 2019 Big South Championship. Deaver followed her with a time of 21:12.9 in her collegiate debut, which was more than a minute faster than the 22:35.57 she recorded in her last race, the program's Blue-White Intrasquad Race at the Longwood Golf Course in Farmville.
 
Freshman Caroline Fritz also logged a 22:43.3, while her fellow newcomer Aislinn Garcia followed with a 23:14.6 in their first college races.
 
"I'm just so grateful for all the behind the scenes work that has gone into get us to this point today," Craig said. "We don't take that for granted."
 
The Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational is the first of three cross country races and five total events for the Lancer men and women's cross country teams this spring. The will follow with a trip to Commonwealth neighbor Radford for the Highlander Invitational on Feb. 12, which will be their final tune-up for the Big South Championship on March 5. After the conference showdown, they will take part in two track meets, first at the Dr. Jack Toms Invitational in Lynchburg on March 27 and then at the Wildcat Track Festival hosted by Randolph College in Lynchburg on April 10.
 
Winthrop Adidas Cross Country Invitational (Big South Preview)
January 29, 2021
Rock Hill, S.C. (Winthrop Farm)
 
Men's Team Results (8K)
1. High Point (25 points, 25:42)
2. Radford (48, 26:19)
3. UNC Asheville (78, 26:44)
4. USC Upstate (85, 26:59)
5. Winthrop (174, 29:49)
6. Presbyterian (181, 29:52)*
7. Longwood (181, 29:45)*
8. Gardner-Webb (207, 32:10
*Presbyterian won head-to-head individual-by-finish tiebreaker
 
Men's Individual Results (8K, 67 Participants)
38. Sam Sager (28:15.1)
46. Shahmique Cromwell (28:52.4)
49. Zachary Lam (29:10.0)
53. Nick Howell (30:58.8)
55. Nick O'Keeffe (31:27.9)
64. Jack Van Straten (37:47.2)
 
Women's Individual Results (5K, 56 Participants)
24. Grace Puleo (19:53.9)
33. Bailey Deaver (21:12.9)
50. Caroline Fritz (22:43.3)
52. Aislinn Garcia (23:14.6)
 
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