FARMVILLE, Va. – Sophie Farley did what she does best, and Longwood women's cross country followed her lead at the Lancer Home Open.
 
The sophomore powered her way to the top spot, and Longwood finished with the top nine runners while setting a number of strong times on the challenging Lancer home course.
 
The podium sweep gave the Lancers the win over Hampton and Bluefield.
 
NOTABLES RESULTS:
 
Farley's time of 18:08.3 led the way, and the top five runners all finished in under 20 minutes in the steamy morning run.
 
Freshman Sydney O'Hara-Wood made her course debut and ripped off a 19:15.7 to finish second, and sophomore Kirsten Morley posted a 19:25 to finish third.
 
Senior Lanie Grogg powered her way to fourth with a 19:25.8 on senior day, while junior Priscilla Keller capped the top five sweep with a 19:48.1.
 
Sam Bolen (20:00.4), Madison Davis (20:08.1), Nicole Pinder (20:11.5) and Riley Humphries (20:14.6) rounded out the top nine spots as part of the strong effort for the Lancers.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"The team goal was to run one through ten," said Longwood Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Brooke Craig. "We got one through nine in and then there were a few in front of our 10^th runner. But we dominated the race, and that's what we wanted to do in our opener and first 5K of the season. They were not rested at all for this race. I made them do a hill front lick on Tuesday, so this is a really good start. A lot of them started faster than they did last year, so looking at last year's results for the same race and on a hotter day, I'm really excited for this as a starting point."
 
"I think it went amazing," Grogg, a team captain, said of the race. "Our team had our fastest team average on this course, and we went one through nine which was very good for us. We ran as a pack, and we worked together the whole time, which is why we did so good."
 
"This was very full-circle for me," Grogg said about celebrating senior day. "This year, the conference championship is at our course, and my freshman year it was also at our course. So it's like, 'Wow, I'm old', but I also have so many memories here. It's wholesome. It's nice to be able to run our course and defend it."
 
"Our mindset is working together and to have fun," Grogg said on the team's mindset. "I think we race the best whenever we are not putting the pressure on ourselves and saying we are going to go out there, have fun, work together, push each other throughout the whole race, and if somebody passes you, you are like 'You're fine, come with me,' instead of putting so much pressure or stigma of 'You have to do this'. Go out there, do your best, have fun and the results will come."
 
"Pack running is how we succeed," Craig added. "That was the big focus today. So Sophie took the lead, but then our two through nine stayed together for that first mile. If you pass somebody, you say 'Go with me.' You don't just pass them and pass them. If you are feeling good and they're not feeling good, you tell them to come with you. That's the focus for the rest of the season. That teamwork is what's helped us improve so much."
 
FULL RESULTS:
 
1. Longwood: 15—1-2-3-4-5(6)(7)
2. Hampton: 50—8-9-10-11-12(13)
3. Bluefield: 80—14-15-16-17-18
 
Individual:
1. Sophie Farley: 18:08.3
2. Sydney O'Hara-Wood: 19:15.7
3. Kirsten Morley: 19:25.0
4. Lanie Grogg: 19:25.8
5. Priscilla Keller: 19:48.1
6. Sam Bolen: 20:00.4
7. Madison Davis: 20:08.1
8. Nicole Pinder: 20:11.5
9. Riley Humphries: 20:14.6
14. Ysabel Wells: 21:27.1
18. Ella Johnston: 22:38.3
19. Kai Wheeler: 22:56.7
20. Abigail Loe: 23:01.5
22. Emily Johnston: 23:27.2
24. Cassandra Miller: 23:45.7
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood has a two week break before hosting the Lancer Pink Invitational on Saturday, September 20. The women run at 9 a.m. at the Longwood Cross Country Course on Johnston Drive.
 
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