Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech cross country squads swept their season opener on Friday, as the Hokie men tallied 10 points and the women’s unit earned six points to capture the Virginia Tech Cross Country Relay titles on the Tech Cross Country Course.
The men's race consisted of two 3.5-mile legs for each runner with each partner alternating legs. The women's race consisted of two 2.5-mile legs for each runner with each partner alternating legs. The top three teams counted towards meet scoring.
On the men’s side, Tech finished one, two, three to ensure the 14,000-meter race crown. The duo of freshman Jason Cusack and sophomore Chris Walizer teamed up to take first place with a combined time of 45:05. Juniors Ryan Witt and Eddie Judge earned a shared time of 45:15 to place second, while freshmen Doug Fenstermacher and Tihut Degfae claimed third with a collective time of 45:17.
The Hokie women also fared well on the night. Juniors Lindsey King and Jessica Trapeni paired up and won the 10,000-meter race with a shared clocking of 37:22. Sophomores Lauren Pinkston and Sammy Dow came in third, earning a collective time of 37:49, and freshmen Kelly Kavanaugh and Casey Gresham clocked a 38:45 to take sixth and round out Tech’s team scoring.
Liberty placed second in the team standings with 24 points, followed by Concord (W. Va.) and Radford with 41 and 70 points, respectively. The Liberty women finished runner-up on the women’s side as well, notching 23 points, followed by Concord (W. Va.) in third with 37 points. Radford and VCU finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Radford earned 39 points and VCU collected 43 points.
The Hokies will take a week off before hosting the VT Alumni Invitational on Sept. 18 on the Tech Cross Country Course. Results will be available on hokiesports.com following the meet.