Virginia Races at Wolfpack Invite Wednesday
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The Virginia men’s and women’s cross country teams will travel to Cary, N.C., on Wednesday (Oct. 7), to race at the Wolfpack Invite at the WakeMed Soccer Park. The Cavaliers will run Wednesday morning against NC State, Duke and North Carolina as the men compete in an 8k race and the women compete in a 5k race.
Due to health and safety considerations spectators, including parents, will not be permitted to attend the meet.
Media Coverage
A link to live results is located at VirginiaSports.com. Updates throughout the race will be provided on the team’s official Twitter account, @UVATFCC.
Meet Information
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7
Location: WakeMed Soccer Park
• Men’s 8k – 9:30 a.m.
• Women’s 5k – 10:15 a.m.
A Look At The Wolfpack Invite
• The men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in a four-team meet against host school NC State, Duke and North Carolina on Wednesday morning
• The Cavaliers will race the Tar Heels for the second consecutive meet after North Carolina competed at UVA’s season opener, the Virginia Invite
• Virginia will run at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., for the first time since the 2016 season
• NC State hosted the 2016 Adidas XC Challenge during the regular season at the course, before the Cavaliers returned to the competition site for the ACC Championships
Hoo Captured Weekly Honors
• Senior runner Rohann Asfaw (Rockville, Md.) was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Runner of the Week for his performance at the Virginia Invite
• Asfaw paced the meet with an 8k time of 24:03.1 to finish first and lead Virginia to a first-place finish
• He is the first UVA cross country runner to earn the national honor and the first male runner from the ACC to do so since Justyn Knight was recognized in 2017
• Additionally, Asfaw and freshman Wes Porter (Kansas City, Mo.) earned weekly honors from the ACC
• Asfaw was named the ACC Cross Country Performer of the Week, while Porter was named ACC Freshman Performer of the Week
• Porter was the top freshman in the men’s race at the Virginia Invite, placing fourth overall with a time of 24:15.4
Last Time Out
• Virginia opened the season on Sept. 25, welcoming North Carolina and Wake Forest to Panorama Farms for the Virginia Invite
• The UVA men’s team won the 8k competition with 26 points with three of its five scoring runners finishing in the top five of the competition
• Asfaw was the top runner in the race with a time of 24:03.1
• The UVA women’s cross country team placed second behind North Carolina
• Senior Hannah Moran (Salem, Va.) recorded the third-fastest 5k time at the meet at 17:26.2
A Look At The Host
• NC State swept its season opener at the Virginia Tech Invitational, capturing a first-place finish in both races against Virginia Tech and Duke
• Hannah Steelman led the team and the women’s competition, completing the 6k course in 20:36.2
• NC State placed all five of its female scoring runners in the top five
• The women’s team was selected to finish first in the ACC preseason poll as the team competes for its fifth consecutive conference title
• On the men’s side, the Wolfpack placed four in the top five at the Virginia Tech Invitational
• Joe Bistritz won the meet with an 8k time of 24:37.3
• The Wolfpack men were selected to finish fourth in the ACC preseason poll
In The Field For North Carolina
• North Carolina’s freshman runner Sasha Neglia was named the women’s USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week for her performance at the Virginia Invite, in addition to being named the ACC Performer and Freshman Performer of the Week
• Neglia was the top female at the meet and ran a 5k time of 17:01.4
• The Tar Heel women won the meet with 21 points
• The men’s team placed third with 52 points
• Will Coogan was the Tar Heels’ top runner with a seventh-place finish and a time of 24:24.0
The Duke Blue Devils
• Duke was selected to finish eighth in both the men’s and women’s ACC preseason poll
• The Blue Devils raced alongside NC State and Virginia Tech at the Virginia Tech Invitational, placing second in both the men’s and women’s race
• Michaela Reinhart placed sixth with a time of 21:03.4 to lead the Blue Devils in the women’s 6k race
• CJ Ambrosio was the top Duke runner on the men’s side
• He completed the 8k course in 25:05.0 to place sixth