Virginia Cross Country Names 2013 Captains
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Sept. 11, 2013
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia men’s and women’s cross country teams announced its captains for the 2013 season Wednesday. Senior Thomas Porter (Fredericksburg, Va.) and sophomore Kyle King (Yorktown, Va.) were named men’s captains and senior Barbara Strehler (Richmond, Va.) and junior Kathleen Stevens (Blacksburg, Va.) were named women’s captains.
King and Porter return after helping the Cavalier men win the NCAA Southeast Region championship last season. Both earned All-ACC honors in 2012 with fifth and 11th-place finishes, respectively, at the ACC Championships.
“Kyle is the guy our team looks to for how to do things right,” said men’s cross country head coach Pete Watson. “He has international experience having been on a national team and been All-ACC and all-region. The guys are counting on him to lead them on the course and in the locker room. He is someone I trust to be a great role model for everyone on the team.
“Thomas is a quiet leader, but when he speaks people listen,” added Watson. “He leads by example; he does everything right in the classroom, at practice, at races, in the training room, etc. He is a returning All-American from the track last spring and has proven he can be counted on when it matters.”
Stevens and Strehler are among the five returnees from last year’s squad that finished seventh at the ACC Championships and eighth at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Both runners had top-30 finishes at last year’s ACC Championships.
“Barbara and Kathleen have set a focused and hard-working tone for the team during the first month of practice,” said women’s cross country head coach Todd Morgan. “Their teammates have recognized this as well and have elected them captains. They have both grown into positive leaders of this team.”
The Cavaliers will compete next on Sept 28 as they host the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational. The meet begins at 10 a.m., and will feature many of top teams from the region and around the nation.