BLACKSBURG – Tech's cross country squads return to Buford Meredith Cross Country Course this Friday, Sept. 10 to host the Alumni Invitational. The Hokies look to build off an impressive start at the Virginia Tech Invitational as racing returns to regular season distances of 6k and 8k.
Ahead of Friday's meet, Tech will host an alumni 4k race which is set to start at 5:30 p.m. Currently 12 Hokie alumni are set to race, including recent graduates Sarah Edwards and Rachel Pocratsky.
Joining the Hokies for the Alumni Invitational will be American, Morehead State, Concord, Lynchburg, and Washington & Lee, bringing the total schools competing to six. The women's race begins at 6:00 p.m. as athletes run six kilometers of the course, followed by the men's 8k race at 6:40 p.m. Friday's meet marks the first time this season the Hokies will race at standard distances, following a tune-up meet last weekend at two kilometers shorter in each race.
Admission is free for all spectators at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational, and free parking is available at the Cage Parking Lot off of the intersection of Washington Street and Duck Pond Drive. Live results will be provided by SnapTiming during the meet.
Hokies dominated the first meet of the season, as the men took nine of the top ten places and the women took eight. Leading the way for Tech on the men's side was Ben Fleming, who finished the 6k course first with a time of 19:07.3. Fleming was followed by three other Hokies within a second of his time, as Antonio Lopez Segura, Tyler Leeser, and Dave Whitfield crossed the finish four-wide with Fleming.
On the women's side, Lindsey Butler paced the Hokies with a 4k time of 14:26.2 to finish in second place. Hokies made up the rest of the top five, as Grace Boone, Ashley Smith, and Hannah Ballowe followed Butler across the line.
With a return to competition distance slated for this Friday, the Hokies will look to turn heads and punch strong times as the season rolls on.