Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Running the best time of his career at the 6,000-kilometer distance, Virginia Tech runner Andrew Eason won the men’s race at the Hokie Open held Friday evening at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course on the Hokies’ campus.
The win marked the second of Eason’s career, as the junior won the George Mason Invitational during his freshman campaign in 2015. Behind Eason, the Hokies won the team title at the Hokie Open, finishing with 23 points and out-distancing Longwood, Bluefield State and Ferrum. Most of the Hokies’ runners sat out this meet to rest for next week’s NCAA Southeast Regional.
Eason, a junior from Chesapeake, Virginia, ran the course in a time of 18 minutes, 20 seconds, easily breaking his previous career-best time at this distance (18:33.30). Freshman Will Shaffer finished second with a time of 18:32.6, while Brent Musselman came in fifth and Andrew Goldman was eighth. Owen Buck finished ninth, giving the Hokies five runners in the top 10.
Several Tech runners ran unattached – mostly freshmen taking redshirt seasons. The group included Will Griffen, Bashir Mosavel-Lo and Ben Fleming, with Griffen finishing third overall, Mosavel-Lo fourth and Fleming sixth.
On the women’s side, Jennifer Fleming, running unattached, won the women’s 4K race with a time of 14:16. Tech freshman Ellie Brush came in second with a time of 14:29.8, while Alyssa Shupe and Shannon Quinn finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
The Hokies did not record a team score on the women’s side because not enough of their runners competed. Liberty won the team race with 24 points, followed by UNC Greensboro and Longwood.
Tech freshman Katy Lobeda, running unattached, came in fifth overall with a time of 14:48.7.
Both Tech squads return to action Saturday, Nov. 18 when both head to Charlottesville, Virginia to compete in the NCAA Southeast Regionals at Panorama Farms.