Hokie ClubFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Virginia Tech cross country men’s and women’s squads both earned fourth-place team finishes on Saturday at the Chile Pepper Invitational, their biggest meet thus far this season, held on the University of Arkansas Cross Country Course in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Hokie women finished the 39-team, 6,000-meter race in fourth place overall with 183 points. The women’s field consisted of 306 runners. The men equaled the women’s mark, claiming fourth place in the 30-team, 10,000-meter race with 120 points. All seven of the Tech men finished in the top-35 in the 257-athlete field.
Senior Tasmin Fanning shined, posting a second-place finish and a time of 19:42, and only trailed defending NCAA Cross Country champion Sally Kipyego by 16 seconds in the 6,000-meter race. Fanning’s sister, redshirt senior Jessica Fanning, earned 15th, and senior Erin Reddan crossed the line in 31st. Former Tech tennis player Natalie Kretzer stayed with the pack, finishing 35th and sophomore Jessica Trapeni rounded out the Hokies’ team scoring placing 100th.
“Tasmin ran really well,” Tech head coach Ben Thomas said. “Our top four were right there with the second-place team Arkansas, with four of our top five actually ahead of their top five for much of the race.”
Junior Devin Cornwall was the first Hokie to cross the line at 30:06 for 10th place on the men's side. Senior Billy Berlin earned 24th overall, while freshman Will Mulherin and Phil Padilla both placed in the top 30 with a 28th and 29th-place finish respectively. Freshman Michael Hammond rounded out the scoring for the Hokies, crossing the line in 31st. Though they did not score, Matt Kroetch and Brian Welch both ran well, collecting 32nd and 35th-place overall.
“On the men’s side we did a great job of packing up,” Thomas said. “We kept a tight pack from our number two runner to our seventh. I am encouraged that some of our freshman ran really well for their first 10k coming out of high school. We just need to move that pack up a little bit to be where we want to be at the regional meet.”
Texas Tech won the women’s race with 72 points, followed by host Arkansas and SMU with 101 and 139 points respectively. On the men’s side Texas A&M captured the crown, scoring 52 points, with host Arkansas close behind at 75, and Lamar in third at 120. Daniel Kirwa of Harding took the individual title on the men’s side, while Kipyego won the women’s title.
The Hokies will recuperate this weekend before heading to Chapel Hill, N.C. on Nov. 1 for the ACC Championships.