Hokie ClubVirginia Tech runner Peter Seufer came in second place at the Adidas Pre-National Invitational held Saturday morning at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
Behind Seufer, the Tech men’s team finished in fourth place in a field that featured eight ranked teams in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll. The Hokies - ranked No. 12 nationally - accumulated 148 points, while winner Brigham Young had 41. Colorado and Oregon came in second and third, respectively.
Seufer, a redshirt sophomore from Lynchburg, Virginia, ran the 8K course in a time of 23 minutes, 10.4 seconds and finished just two seconds behind winner Rory Linkletter of BYU. The time marked the best of Seufer’s career for that distance by approximately 38 seconds.
Tech’s Daniel Jaskowak came in 13th with a time of 23:25.2, while Neil Gourley and Patrick Joseph finished 42nd and 43rd, respectively. Vincent Ciattei was 51st, and Diego Zarate came in 55th. Jack Joyce was 66th.
“The guys ran solid today,” Tech cross country coach Ben Thomas said. “Seufer and Jaskowak had breakthrough races against some really good competition. Our 3 through 7 runners got better today in terms of where they were two weeks ago. If we continue to progress these next two weeks, we should be pretty competitive at the ACCs.”
On the women’s side, the Hokies came in 11th out of 43 teams, accumulating 389 points. Oregon won the meet with 63 points, while Colorado, Arkansas, Utah State and Michigan rounded out the top five.
Katie Kennedy led the Hokies, coming in 50th overall and running the 6K course in a time of 20:44.5. Sarah Edwards came in 68th overall with a time of 20:54, and Sara Freix came in 77th with a time of 20:59.4. Laurie Barton and Kayla Richardson were 98th and 106th, respectively. Rachel Pocratsky finished 149th.
“The women are getting better,” Thomas said. “We had a nice pack, but will need to have a couple of low sticks to be where we want to be at ACCs. Kennedy, Edwards and Richardson are all capable of being All-ACC performers on the day. Freix and Barton have been very consistent as well. We’ll need for it to all come together in two weeks.”
Several Tech runners ran in the unseeded races following the main races. On the men’s side, three Tech runners finished in the top 26 – Fitsum Seyoum (18th), Andrew Eason (21st) and Andrew Goldman (26th). Alyssa Shupe and Shannon Quinn competed for the Tech women’s squad.
Both Tech squads now take a week in preparation for the main meet of the fall – the ACC Championships. The league’s marquee event will be held Oct. 27 at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville.