Friday, August 31
Concord, N.C.
6:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Charlotte Opener
Photo by: Liz Parke
WVU Begins Season with Win
August 31, 2018 10:17 PM | Cross Country
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Freshman Charlotte Wood of the West Virginia University cross country team began her collegiate career in style, winning the season-opening Charlotte Opener on Friday night at Frank Liske Park (5k) in Concord, North Carolina.
Wood crossed the finish line in 18:17.2, earning the victory in her Mountaineer debut. The Bracebridge, Ontario, native topped a field of 61 runners and led the way in a 1-2-3 WVU finish at the meet. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Wills placed second in 18:19.8, while redshirt junior Olivia Hill finished third in 18:27.6.
WVU scored 23 points as a team, good for the victory over North Carolina (40), Georgia (93), UNC Charlotte (100), Queens (132), Davidson (133) and Wake Forest (NTS).
"Today was a very nice opener for the ladies," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "We are quite happy with the way they looked and felt. Early-season racing is very tricky for all teams, so tonight's meet was a very good starting point.
"Charlotte did a wonderful job in her Mountaineer debut. Having sat back off the leaders for half of the race, it was nice to see the three of them work together in the latter stages. This is a very long season; we need to get a lot better. But starting from such a positive place has its perks."
Redshirt sophomore Antigone Archer placed eighth for West Virginia in 18:49.2, while freshman Hannah Lipps, who also made her WVU debut on Friday, finished in ninth place, crossing the finish line in 18:50.3.
Sophomore Bree Warren (19:09.1) and redshirt freshman Marianne Abdalah (19:10.1) also raced for WVU. For Abdalah, it was her first career cross country meet in a Mountaineer uniform.
Friday was WVU's first-ever appearance at Frank Liske Park. It also marked the third consecutive season, and fourth time in five years, the Mountaineers opened a campaign with a victory. WVU won the season-opening Lehigh Invitational in 2014 and 2017 and won the Texas Tech Invitational to begin the 2016 season.
Next up, the Mountaineers visit University Park, Pennsylvania, for the Spiked Shoe Invitational on Friday, Sept. 7. The meet is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET at Penn State's Blue-White Course.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUCrossCountry on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Wood crossed the finish line in 18:17.2, earning the victory in her Mountaineer debut. The Bracebridge, Ontario, native topped a field of 61 runners and led the way in a 1-2-3 WVU finish at the meet. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Wills placed second in 18:19.8, while redshirt junior Olivia Hill finished third in 18:27.6.
WVU scored 23 points as a team, good for the victory over North Carolina (40), Georgia (93), UNC Charlotte (100), Queens (132), Davidson (133) and Wake Forest (NTS).
"Today was a very nice opener for the ladies," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "We are quite happy with the way they looked and felt. Early-season racing is very tricky for all teams, so tonight's meet was a very good starting point.
"Charlotte did a wonderful job in her Mountaineer debut. Having sat back off the leaders for half of the race, it was nice to see the three of them work together in the latter stages. This is a very long season; we need to get a lot better. But starting from such a positive place has its perks."
Redshirt sophomore Antigone Archer placed eighth for West Virginia in 18:49.2, while freshman Hannah Lipps, who also made her WVU debut on Friday, finished in ninth place, crossing the finish line in 18:50.3.
Sophomore Bree Warren (19:09.1) and redshirt freshman Marianne Abdalah (19:10.1) also raced for WVU. For Abdalah, it was her first career cross country meet in a Mountaineer uniform.
Friday was WVU's first-ever appearance at Frank Liske Park. It also marked the third consecutive season, and fourth time in five years, the Mountaineers opened a campaign with a victory. WVU won the season-opening Lehigh Invitational in 2014 and 2017 and won the Texas Tech Invitational to begin the 2016 season.
Next up, the Mountaineers visit University Park, Pennsylvania, for the Spiked Shoe Invitational on Friday, Sept. 7. The meet is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET at Penn State's Blue-White Course.
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
Jack Bicknell Jr. | Aug. 7
Thursday, August 07
Sean Cleary/Ceili McCabe | Nov. 19
Tuesday, November 19
XC: Ceili McCabe Big 12 Championship Post-Race Interview
Friday, November 01
Petal Palmer - 2024 Wilma Rudolph Award Recipient
Monday, June 10
