Hokie ClubLOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Hokies were in postseason action on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Louisville, Ky. at the 2010 Southeast Regionals. The women’s team earned their highest finish since 2007, placing fifth with 208 points out of a field of 37 teams. Freshman Paige Kvartunas placed 18th in the women’s 6,000 meters (21:00.3) to earn All-Southeast Region honors. She is the 21st women’s All-Region honoree in Tech history, the first since 2008. Tech’s men’s squad placed 14th (424 pts.) in a field of 34 teams.
Out of Tech’s 21 all-time All-Region honorees, Kvartunas is only the 13th to finish 18th place or better. Her time of 21:00.3 today is a career best at Tech. Fellow freshman Courtney Dobbs was Tech’s next finisher to cross the line, placing 38th at 21:28.9, also a career high.
In the men’s 10,000 meters, Chris Walizer was the Hokies’ highest place runner (58th, 32:12.2), followed by Joseph Murray (74th, 32:36.4) and Jason Cusack (91st, 32:55.5).
The top two teams in each race for each region automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships. On the women’s side, ACC squads from Virginia and North Carolina earned automatic bids, while William & Mary and Duke move forward on the men’s side. Other teams may receive at-large bids, based on season performance over automatic qualifying teams, and individuals can receive at-large bids as well. Decisions on at-large bids will be determined early next week.