BLACKSBURG – Friday night the Hokies cross country squads hosted their second meet of the season, the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational, and returned to competition distance races. Antonio Lopez Segura and Ben Fleming finished one-two in the men's 8k, and Lindsey Butler paced the Hokies to third place in the women's 6k as alumni and fans cheered on.
Antonio Lopez Segura took first place in the men's 8k with daylight to spare, finishing 23 seconds ahead of a surging Ben Fleming. The finish sees the two runners swap places from the previous meet, when Fleming finished first and Lopez Segura followed for second. Lopez Segura clocked a time of 24:27.8 and Fleming finished in 24:51.7.
Running unattached, recent Tech graduates Diego Zarate and Neil Gourley finished third and fifth as they stretched their legs for a collegiate race again. Dave Whitfield, Colby Burcham, and Ethan Mills rounded out the top ten for the Hokies as Tech took the team win by 50 points.
In the women's 6k race, Lindsey Butler again led the Hokies across the line, finishing in third with a time of 21:25.8. Tech split the top ten with Liberty, as both schools took five of the ten spots. Following Butler were Ava Hassebrock, recent transfer Leigha Torino, Hannah Ballowe, and Ashley Smith.
"There were some ups and some downs," Head Cross Country and Distance Coach Eric Johannigmeier said. "It's early in the season, and we still have to get faster and better across the board. We have time and if we can stay healthy and be consistent with training, we'll be where we need to be by the end of the season."
Next up for the Hokies is a trip to South Bend, Ind. as they visit Notre Dame for the Joe Piane Invitational. The meet is set to run on October 1, so Johannigmeier's squads will have time to train and reload for conference competition.
Hokies in the Top Ten
Women's 6k
3. Lindsey Butler – 21:25.8
7. Ava Hassebrock – 22:13.8
8. Leigha Torino – 22:14.9
9. Hannah Ballowe – 22:26.0
10. Ashley Smith – 22:37.4
Men's 8k
1. Antonio Lopez Segura – 24:27.8
2. Ben Fleming – 24:51.7
6. Dave Whitfield – 25:05.0
7. Colby Burcham – 25:07.3
9. Ethan Mills – 25:14.5
Gallery: (9-10-2021) XC: 2021 Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational