Saturday, September 30
Louisville, Ky.
10:15 a.m.
West Virginia University
at
Greater Louisville Classic
Photo by: Don Paul
Mountaineers Finish Eighth in Louisville
September 30, 2017 03:37 PM | Cross Country
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University cross country team earned an eighth-place team finish at the Greater Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.
Results
In the Mountaineers' first competition since Sept. 8, two WVU runners finished in the top 30 of the Women's Gold 5k race at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park. The race featured 328 runners from 37 Division I programs.
"This was a huge test for our program," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "We had almost the entire group on the line and emerged with what I would consider a good performance. While we won't leave this course ecstatic, we will leave with the understanding that we ran well but must get better."
Redshirt senior Maggie Drazba led the way for WVU, finishing in 21st place in a time of 17:09.52. Redshirt senior Amy Cashin was next for the Mountaineers, earning a 29th-place finish after running the course in 17:17.16.
A pair of Mountaineer freshmen were the third and fourth members of the team to reach the finish line. Redshirt freshman Sarah Wills earned a time of 17:38.17, good enough for 63rd place, while freshman Hayley Jackson, who made her WVU debut on Saturday, posted an 80th-place finish in a time of 17:46.45.
Redshirt sophomore Candace Jones (17:47.87) placed 84th.
"I would say the last few weeks of training brought with it some difficult challenges for some of our top kids," Cleary said. "As we get back to work on Monday, we can do so knowing that we are healthier and in a better spot than the beginning of September."
Redshirt sophomore Olivia Hill (18:11.36) and freshman Bree Warren (18:31.16) also raced for the Mountaineers. Like Jackson, Warren made her first career appearance for WVU.
"This was a big learning experience for many of our younger kids," Cleary said. "Lining up with 300-plus runners can be intimidating. I felt we handled the size well. The bottom line is we have a month to become better and we believe we will."
Saturday marked the fifth time since 2011 – and first since 2015 – WVU competed at the Greater Louisville Classic. The event allowed the Mountaineers to preview the 2017 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships course, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Louisville's E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.
Four of the top-five team finishers in the event appeared in the USTFCCCA's Division I National Coaches' Poll this week. No. 13 Boise State won the race with 78 team points, while No. 18 Wisconsin (105) finished second. No. 29 Furman (127), No. 20 Minnesota (129) and Northern Arizona (178) rounded out the top five.
The Mountaineers, who received votes in this week's national poll, finished with 269 team points.
West Virginia will have a week off before its next scheduled meet. The Mountaineers will make their second trip of the season to University Park, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Oct. 13, for the Penn State National Open.
WVU previously visited Penn State on Sept. 8, at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUCrossCountry on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Results
In the Mountaineers' first competition since Sept. 8, two WVU runners finished in the top 30 of the Women's Gold 5k race at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park. The race featured 328 runners from 37 Division I programs.
"This was a huge test for our program," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "We had almost the entire group on the line and emerged with what I would consider a good performance. While we won't leave this course ecstatic, we will leave with the understanding that we ran well but must get better."
Redshirt senior Maggie Drazba led the way for WVU, finishing in 21st place in a time of 17:09.52. Redshirt senior Amy Cashin was next for the Mountaineers, earning a 29th-place finish after running the course in 17:17.16.
A pair of Mountaineer freshmen were the third and fourth members of the team to reach the finish line. Redshirt freshman Sarah Wills earned a time of 17:38.17, good enough for 63rd place, while freshman Hayley Jackson, who made her WVU debut on Saturday, posted an 80th-place finish in a time of 17:46.45.
Redshirt sophomore Candace Jones (17:47.87) placed 84th.
"I would say the last few weeks of training brought with it some difficult challenges for some of our top kids," Cleary said. "As we get back to work on Monday, we can do so knowing that we are healthier and in a better spot than the beginning of September."
Redshirt sophomore Olivia Hill (18:11.36) and freshman Bree Warren (18:31.16) also raced for the Mountaineers. Like Jackson, Warren made her first career appearance for WVU.
"This was a big learning experience for many of our younger kids," Cleary said. "Lining up with 300-plus runners can be intimidating. I felt we handled the size well. The bottom line is we have a month to become better and we believe we will."
Saturday marked the fifth time since 2011 – and first since 2015 – WVU competed at the Greater Louisville Classic. The event allowed the Mountaineers to preview the 2017 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships course, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 18, at Louisville's E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.
Four of the top-five team finishers in the event appeared in the USTFCCCA's Division I National Coaches' Poll this week. No. 13 Boise State won the race with 78 team points, while No. 18 Wisconsin (105) finished second. No. 29 Furman (127), No. 20 Minnesota (129) and Northern Arizona (178) rounded out the top five.
The Mountaineers, who received votes in this week's national poll, finished with 269 team points.
West Virginia will have a week off before its next scheduled meet. The Mountaineers will make their second trip of the season to University Park, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Oct. 13, for the Penn State National Open.
WVU previously visited Penn State on Sept. 8, at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUCrossCountry on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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