West Virginia University
Maryland Eastern Shore
Cross Country: Off to a Good Start
September 04, 2010 01:14 PM | Cross Country
September 4, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Under sunny skies and a chilly breeze, the No. 15 West Virginia University cross country team raced to victory Saturday morning at the WVU Invitational.
The Mountaineers faced off against West Virginia Wesleyan College in a 4K race and gained valuable experience en route to the win at the WVU Agronomy Farm.
Redshirt sophomore Hallie Portner arrived in first place for WVU as she crossed the line in 15:02. She pulled ahead of the pack roughly a mile into the race and was able to maintain the lead to finish in first.
"Hallie (Portner) ran a perfect race," says WVU coach Sean Cleary. "She sat in the group and then waited for one of the most difficult parts of the race to go ahead. She's everything that we thought she would be a few years ago when we got her. With a little more experience and integral training, she will be a big part of our future."
Fellow redshirt sophomore Aubrey Moskal came in second place behind Portner in 15:20 and was followed by Jordan Hamric, who finished just seconds behind in 15:25. Chelsea Jarvis and Allison Pettit crossed the line in 15:33 and 15:37, respectively, in fourth and fifth place.
"Aubrey (Moskal), Jordan (Hamric), Chelsea (Jarvis) and Allison (Pettit) did very well," Cleary says. "A few of these runners are going to shock the Mid-Atlantic region. They give us hard, aggressive racing and that's all we can ask for."
Senior Jamie Cokeley had a strong start to her final season by arriving in sixth place and was trailed by freshmen Alison Kimble and Lydia Martinelli.
The Bobcats were paced by Christine Azevedo, who crossed the line in ninth place overall in 16:24. Ashlee Knotts and Katelyn Hunt pursued Azevedo closely behind.
"With the goals we had coming in, we nailed what we wanted to do today," Cleary says. "I'm pleased. The girls did very well. The girls who didn't run today will see the times that these girls posted and be able to compare where they stand. We got what we wanted out of this race".
Former Mountaineer cross country and track athlete Karly Hamric, running unattached, actually finished in first place overall, finishing the race in 14:49.
West Virginia Wesleyan also traveled their men's team to run the course for themselves in an 8K race. Nate Edwards arrived first in 24:18 and was followed by Barry Franklin in 24:26.
