10.18.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University men's and women's cross country ran in the Blue Ridge Open hosted by Appalachian State University on October 14 in Boone, North Carolina.  The women placed 18th among 21 teams with 457 points, while the men placed 23rd among 23 teams with 673 points.  The Lancers, coached by fifth-year head coach Catherine Hanson, will be idle until the NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by the University of Louisville on November 12 in Kentucky beginning at 11 a.m.

A Quick Look Back At The Blue Ridge Open
Longwood placed 18th in the women's race as junior Alisha Royal|Vinton (William Byrd) once again led the way with her time of 18:47 over the 5,000-meter course.  She placed 13th among 177 runners and was followed by senior Jessica Alley|New Castle (Craig County) (20:08, 99th), freshman Elisabeth Drake|Hayes (Gloucester) (21:12, 140th), junior Megan Short|Sicklerville, N.J. (Timber Creek) (21:16, 142nd), and sophomore Crystal Baxley|Virginia Beach (First Colonial) (22:14, 161st).  Also running for the Lancers were junior Jenna Sprinkle|Buchanan (James River) (22:24, 163rd), sophomore Emberli McGann|Stuarts Draft (Stuarts Draft) (24:05, 172nd), junior Rebecca Denny|Virginia Beach (Kempsville) (24:16, 173rd), and sophomore Nicole Grandy|Midlothian (James River) (25:45, 175th).  Grandy was making her first appearance this fall.

Longwood placed 23rd in the men's race as senior Robert Webb|Williamsburg (Lafayette) led the way with his 28:23 over the 8,000-meter course.  He placed 154th among 201 runners, and was followed by freshman Nick Reed|Fairfax (Robinson) (28:30, 159th), senior Justin Cooke|Chesterfield (Manchester) (29:03, 172nd), sophomore Kyle Moller|Gainesville (Battlefield) (29:14, 174th), and freshman Trey Thomas|Stafford (Mountain View) (29:15, 175th).  Also running for the Lancers were senior Alex Strittmater|Haymarket (Battlefield) (29:35, 183rd), freshmen Matt Wallace|Lynchburg (Brookville) (29:41, 184th), Stephen Ferguson|Columbia (Goochland) (29:50, 186th), and Ryan Canoy|Williamsburg (Bruton) (30:08, 191st), along with senior Anthony Caldwell|Charlottesville (Manchester) (30:58, 195th).  Webb, Reed, Strittmater, and Caldwell each ran season-best times for the 8K.

Head Coach Catherine Hanson
“We did not have such a good week with team placement at the Blue Ridge Open. We had some pretty good individual placements with Alisha being in the top-13 overall.  The times were slower this week across the board. Whenever we travel to Appalachian State, we just never know the pace the course will unfold.  This year, there was about five inches of water throughout the first three-quarters of a mile.  Add the wind to it, and it definitely became a challenge for running fast.  However, all the competitors face the same challenge, and unfortunately, we just did not rise up to meet it.  The level of competition at the meet was deep, even through the DII and DIII schools.  The regional will offer this same type of deep competition, and we have some work to do both mentally and physically to get ready.  I believe in my two teams and they will rise for this challenge.  We will run both 10K (for the men) and 6K (for the women) time trials at the golf course in two weeks to see where we are.”

It's Royal's Time
Alisha Royal established a new 5K school record with her time of 18:22 posted at the Charlotte Invitational (9.30) in North Carolina.  Her time was one second faster than her own previous record of 18:23 ran at the adidas Cross Country Challenge (9.16) in Cary, North Carolina.  Royal's 18:47 at the Blue Ridge Open tied as the fourth-best in school history, and is her third consecutive sub-19 minute 5K in addition to the two fastest 5K times (18:22, 18:23) in the 11-year history of the program.  It's well-deserved accolades for the third-year runner who battled nagging injuries during her first two years while finishing just two races.  This year, however, Royal is injury-free and has not only finished four races, but has led the team in each of them.

Down A Man
Junior Sean Flynn|Goodview (Roanoke Catholic) has not raced since the adidas Challenge (9.16).  The third-year runner is out indefinitely with a knee injury.  Flynn was second among the Lancers in each of the two races he participated in this season.

Joining The Record Book
A total of five runners joined the Longwood Cross Country record book with their respective performances at the adidas Challenge (9.16).  As mentioned, Alisha Royal set, at the time, a new school record for the women's 5K, now the second-fastest time, and Jessica Alley posted what was the fourth-fastest 5K time in school history, now the sixth-fastest.  On the men's side, Nick Reed ran the second-fastest 5K time in the program's history, while Sean Flynn and Stephen Ferguson ran the fourth (tie) and ninth-best 5K times, respectively.

2011 Captains
Justin Cooke is serving as the men's team captain for the first time, while Jessica Alley is serving as the women's team captain for the second consecutive season.

Season Results & Best Times (PDF)

Up Next
Longwood will compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by the University of Louisville on November 12 in Kentucky beginning at 11 a.m.  Last year, the men finished 32nd, while the women placed 37th in the Bluegrass Commonwealth.