FARMVILLE, Va. – Just a few minutes after the Longwood women's cross country team wrapped up their 5K, the Lancer men raced an 8K for the Lancer Pink Invitational at the Longwood Cross Country Course on Saturday morning. The Lancers finished second in the three-team field behind Big South foe Radford and ahead of Hampden Sydney.
 
Following the meet, the men's and women's teams hosted a Fun Run/Walk that raised $2,467 for the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
With this serving as Longwood's only home meet this year, the Lancers also celebrated senior day in the second annual Lancer Pink Invitational.
 
In the race, Radford, which was picked for a top-four finish in the Big South, claimed the team crown. The Highlanders had five of the top six times in the field, led by Sam Sikora's 26:45.7.
 
Ethan Pettyjohn led Longwood for a second straight season. The sophomore shaved a second off of his time from a season ago, with a 28:08.4 to finish 13^th among the 33-runner field. It was also his personal best on the tough and challenging Lancer course.
 
Ben Goulet and freshman Andrew Schaefer were right behind Pettyjohn, with Goulet posting a 28:22.4 while Shaefer ran a 28:30.2. Goulet's time was a personal best on the course.
 
Saad Khan and Alec Daniel rounded out the top five for Longwood, with Khan running a 29:08.9 and Daniel running a 29:21.4 in the 8K. Both Khan and Daniel's times were personal bests on the course.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"The men ran really well," said Longwood head coach Brooke Craig. "We've had some bouts of sickness over the past few weeks, which was to be expected in the first few weeks of school. They looked good. They looked strong. They left it all out on the course. We've got about a month and a half left until conference, and I think they're ready to put the work in."
 
"I felt like we all gave it our best effort," said senior Zach Lam, who was running his first race after a long recovery from an injury. "Running this course is no easy feat in and of itself. It's challenging. It's got rolling hills, and that's what it was made for. It's made to make us stronger, not just as an individual but as a team. It helps us grow."
 
"Andrew crushed it," Craig added. "I'm not surprised. He finished in the top three at the Radford Relays if you look at the individual results, and he basically ran that time solo. He went out and made a huge impact, which is great."
 
"Ethan won the race last year, but he felt like he hasn't had a lot of good workouts recently," Craig said about her top runner. "He didn't feel like he was ready. I knew. He's not a miler, not a two-miler, but he can run an 8K. He went out and took his top spot back, as he does. Ben had a huge gain as well, and they all ran faster than they did last year on this course."
 
"Finishing was so rewarding," said Lam after a long road to recovery from an injury and an unfinished race from last fall. "There's been a small little voice in my head that says, 'Keep going, keep going, you can see past this.' It's one of the toughest things I've had to fight for in life so far, but finishing this race today filled me with something I haven't had for a year."
 
"It shows you even more how much fight you have left in you," Lam said about finishing his first race in a year on such a difficult course. "It makes you reflect too. I'm like, 'You finished the course, Zach. You can finish the season off strong.' This is the confidence booster I needed to get the rest of the season underway."
 
"It's huge. I talked with Zach before the race yesterday, and I know he's still dealing with a few lingering issues, and I just said, 'Goal tomorrow is to come out, and I want you to finish. But I want you to have confidence that you can,'" Craig said about her senior. "That's what we work on all the time. This is our home course, and we have ownership in this. To see him come out and do that, it was great. "
 
"I love this team," Craig said. "I'm so lucky that I get to coach this group, and it was so much fun today."
 
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 
Misha Wiley ran a 29:49.4, his course personal best, and finished sixth among Longwood's runners.
 
Tim Slater ran a 30:00.8 to finish seventh.
 
Javier Roldan was eighth with a 30:25.4.
 
Bryce Christian ran a 31:45.2.
 
Zach Lam, in his first race back after a long, grueling recover from injury, finished with a 32:28.4.
 
Connor Williams ran a 34:08.7 to round out the field for the Lancers.
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood heads to Virginia Tech next week as the James Madison Invitational was cancelled.
 
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