LYNCHBURG, Va. – Longwood cross country was back in action in their second meet of the spring on Saturday afternoon, as both the men's and women's teams had runners enter the 1,500 meter and 800 meter races at the Dr. Jack M Toms Invitational hosted by Lynchburg College.
 
For the men, Sam Sager, Saad Khan, Benjamin Goulet, Nick Howell, Ethan Pettyjohn and Dylan Forrester all ran the 1,500, and all but Forrester ran in the 800 as well.
 
On the women's side, Bailey Deaver and Grace Puleo both ran the 1,500, with Puleo finishing out the double by running the 800 as well.
 
"The first half of this spring was to build a foundation to work off of," said Longwood head coach Brooke Craig. "They'll be back after tapering off to chase the record book in two weeks.
 
Sager led the Lancer men in both the 800 and 1,500, with a 2:04.54 in the 800 meters, which was the 20^th fastest time on the day among the 68 runner field. He also ran the 1,500 in 4:17.90, placing him in 29^th among 70 runners.
 
Khan also finished in the top half of the field with a time of 2:09.57 in the 800, and he ran a 4:23.47 in the 1,500 meters. Goulet and Howell finished back-to-back in the 800, with Goulet running a 2:18.20 and Howell clocking in at 2:19.40, as the two finished 44^th and 45^th in the field. Pettyjohn was 48^th at 2:20.54.
 
In the 1,500, Goulet was 31^st at 4:20.80 to finish a pair of spots ahead of Khan. Forrester checking in with a time of 4:25.99, good for 38^th, while Howell finished in 42^nd with a 4:27.04. Pettyjohn finished the double at 4:36.56.
 
"The goal for the men's team was to get a good workout in with doubling in the 1,500 and 800," Craig said. "They showed a ton of grit. Sam was in the fastest heat and was challenged to show up in tough conditions. Nick ran his best executed race in two years. For those wondering, he's back."
 
Puleo, as she has done throughout her career, put together a pair of strong events. In the 1,500, she clocked a 5:09.00 to finish 18^th among the 50 runner field.  She finished one spot back in the 800 with a time of 2:30.78 among the 59 runners in the field.
 
Deaver battled her way to a 39^th place finish with a time of 5:36:96 in the 1,500.
 
"Grace, as always, proved why she was voted team MVP by running close to her college bests at the beginning of the season, and doing so in weather that went from sunny to snowing in minutes," Craig said. "Bailey worked through feeling sick to win her head. She showed a ton of grit today."
 
The Lancers will continue their spring schedule on April 15 and 16 at the University of Lynchburg at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic.
 
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