MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Looking for a strong start to the 2011 season, the West Virginia cross country team achieved the objective with a second-place finish at the Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Lid-Lifter Invitational on Saturday morning.

The Mountaineers finished with 52 points behind first-place Navy, which earned the victory with 15 points. Delaware (69) and Hampton (123) pursued in third and fourth place, respectively, while UMES (152), Norfolk State (167), Delaware State (180) and Morgan State (190) finished the field.

“I am pleased with today’s race,” says WVU coach Sean Cleary. “As we hoped for, this was a great way to get the season underway.”

After Navy runners secured the top five spots, redshirt junior Hallie Portner arrived first for WVU, crossing the finish line in sixth place overall with a 5k time of 18:24. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Martinelli and redshirt junior Aubrey Moskal followed closely behind as they finished in eighth and ninth places, respectively, in 18:37 for the Mountaineers.

Redshirt sophomore Jordan Hamric came in 13th place in 19:04, while redshirt sophomore Chelsea Jarvis finished in 26th place in 20 minutes even for the Mountaineers.

“Watching Hallie (Portner) leading our group after suffering a season-ending injury was a great sight,” Cleary says. “The women that will eventually line up for the NCAA Regional at this course should have something to think about for the next two months. This trip proved to be very worthwhile.”

The Naval Academy’s Jess Palacio finished the race in first place in 17:41. Complete results from the race can be found at the Maryland Eastern Shore athletics website at www.umeshawks.com

The Mountaineers next compete at the Inter-Regional Bubble Buster in Toledo, Ohio, on Friday, Sept. 23.


2011 Lid-Lifter Invitational

Team Scores
1. Navy – 15
2. WVU – 52
3. Delaware – 69
4. Hampton – 123
5. UMES – 152
6. Norfolk State – 167
7. Delaware State – 180
8. Morgan State - 190


West Virginia
Hallie Portner … 6th … 18:24
Sarah Martinelli … 8th … 18:37
Aubrey Moskal … 9th … 18:37
Jordan Hamric … 13th … 19:04
Chelsea Jarvis … 26th … 20:00
Allison Pettit*

* - Did not finish