9.27.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University men's and women's cross country was idle from competition this past week.  The Lancers, coached by fifth-year head coach Catherine Hanson, return to action this week and will participate in the third annual Charlotte Cross Country Invitational on Friday, September 30, at the historic McAlpine Park beginning at 4 p.m. in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A Quick Look Back At The adidas Cross Country Challenge
Longwood placed third among 10 teams in the women's race as junior Alisha Royal|Vinton (William Byrd) led the way with her school-record and personal career-best time 18:23 over the 5000-meter course.  She placed 16th among 96 runners with her new school-record time that bettered the previous record of 18:34 ran by Kristin Novara in 2005. Royal was followed closely by senior Jessica Alley|New Castle (Craig County) (19:07, 27th), freshman Elisabeth Drake|Hayes (Gloucester) (20:12, 40th), along with juniors Megan Short|Sicklerville, N.J. (Timber Creek) (20:37, 47th) and Jenna Sprinkle|Buchanan (James River) (20:58, 53rd).  Alley also ran a personal career-best, and posted the fourth-best 5K time in the program's history, while Drake and McGann each ran collegiate-best times.

Longwood placed sixth among nine teams in the men's race as freshman Nick Reed|Fairfax (Robinson) led the way with his collegiate-best time of 16:18 over the 5000-meter course.  He placed 30th among 96 runners while running the second-fastest 5K in program history only behind the record 16:05 posted by D.J. Palmer in 2006.  Reed was followed closely by junior Sean Flynn|Goodview (Roanoke Catholic) (16:24, 32nd) and freshman Stephen Ferguson|Columbia (Goochland) (16:37, 35th), along with sophomore Kyle Moller|Gainesville (Battlefield) (17:05, 48th), and senior Justin Cooke|Chesterfield (Manchester) (17:10, 51st).  Flynn (tied fourth-best 5K time) and Ferguson (ninth-best 5K time) also ran new personal career-best times as well.

Head Coach Catherine Hanson
“We are excited to travel to McAlpine Park this weekend to compete with a pretty competitive field on a very fun and fast course.  I am anxious to see the debut of Trey Thomas|Stafford (Mountain View) in his first college race of the season as well as his first 8K distance.  We are out my No. 2 runner (Sean Flynn) due to injury, and I know this will impact the placement of our men's squad.  However, all the men have been working pretty hard these two weeks since the adidas race, so I always hope for individual progress as much as I do good team placement.  The women get to return to a 5K distance, so I am expecting a good overall finish as well as continued personal bests.  This will be the last 5K for the women as we finish the season competing in the 6K distances.  I would be thrilled for no humidity this weekend as it really does make a huge difference in the performance of a runner.”

A Look Ahead At The Charlotte Cross Country Invitational
Taking place at the historic McAlpine Park in Charlotte, North Carolina two weeks before the Pre-National Meet on a course that has played host to the High School Footlocker Regional Championships, several conference championships, the USATF Club Cross Country Championships and the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championships.  The meet will feature the women's 5,000-meter race at 4 p.m., followed by the men's 8,000-meter race at approximately 4:45 p.m.  The 2010 meet featured 25 women's teams and 22 men's squads with 200-plus runners per race.

It's Royal Time
Alisha Royal established a new 5K school record with her personal career-best time of 18:23 at the adidas Cross Country Challenge Sept. 16.  Her time was 11 seconds faster than the program's previous record of 18:34 ran by Kristin Novara in 2005.  It's a well-deserved record for the third-year runner who has 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 two races, but has led the team in each race. Expectations are high for Royal who was a two-time All-State honoree in high school and Region Champion as a senior.

Joining The Record Book
A total of five runners joined the Longwood Cross Country record book with their respective performances at the adidas Cross Country Challenge.  As mentioned, Alisha Royal set a new school record for the women's 5K, and Jessica Alley posted the fourth-fastest 5K time in school history.  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 will serve 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.

Up Next
Longwood will participate in the Blue Ridge Open hosted by Appalachian State University on October 14 in Boone, North Carolina at 4:30 p.m.