Virginia Women Clinch Victory, Men Runners-Up at XC23 Invitational

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Both Virginia’s men’s and women’s cross country squads turned in impressive performances as the Cavalier women took home a commanding victory in the 5k while the men finished second in the 8k race Saturday morning (Oct. 15) at the XC 23 Invitational at Panorama Farms.

The day began with the men’s 8k race as the Cavaliers put forth a strong display of pack running. Two kilometers into the race, Virginia positioned itself well in the front of the pack as Yasin Sado, and Justin Wachtel sat in seventh and eighth place while Wes Porter and Will Anthony followed closely behind at the 11 and 13 positions.

As the race developed, gaps began to form and Virginia battled seventh-ranked Wake Forest for the team title. At the finish line Justin Wachtel led Virginia in sixth place with a time of 23:20.9, his fastest time on an 8k cross country course. Wachtel was followed by a Virginia pack of Rohann Asfaw, Gary Martin, Will Anthony, Wes Porter and Yasin Sado who went 14-15-16-17-18 to push Virginia to a runner-up finish.

The Cavalier women put forward another dominating performance in their 5k race. The Hoos jumped out to an early lead as they commanded the head of the pack. With two kilometers run, the Cavaliers made up five of the top-10 runners with Mia Barnett and Margot Appleton in the lead while Camryn Menninger, Esther Seeland and Sophie Atkinson all asserted themselves among the leaders.

As things wore on Virginia kept its stranglehold on the team title. At the finish line it was once again Margot Appleton leading the way for the Cavaliers as Appleton, Barnett and Menninger went 3-4-5 for Virginia. Appleton crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 16:31.7, her fastest 5k time on a cross country course, and the third-fastest time ever run at Panorama Farms.

Rounding out the scoring positions for Virginia was Sophie Atkinson and Anna Workman in ninth and 11^th positions to give Virginia a total of just 32 points as the Cavaliers remained undefeated on the season.

From Director of Track and Cross Country, Vin Lananna

“Both teams did a great job today. The women were dominant, and the men did an excellent job of pack running. We will continue to progress as a team, and we are looking forward what we can do as a group in a couple of weeks here at Panorama Farms for the ACC Championships.”

Panorama Farms & XC23
In addition to serving as the home course for the Virginia men’s and women’s cross country programs, Panorama Farms will serve as the location for both the 2022 ACC Championships on Friday, Oct. 28, as well as the 2023 NCAA Championships.

Panorama Farms XC23 Invitational
Panorama Farms
Charlottesville, Va.
(Parentheses indicate national ranking) 

Women’s Team Results (5k) 

1. Virginia – 32
2. Ole Miss – 110
3. (27) Kentucky – 116
4. Virginia Tech – 146
5. Wake Forest – 155
6. Connecticut – 175
7. Dartmouth – 189
8. Penn – 217
9. Texas – 235
10. Boston University – 286
11. Boston College – 298
12. William & Mary – 300
13. Eastern Kentucky – 303
14. Charlotte – 350
15. Johns Hopkins – 363
16. Norfolk State – 529
17. Liberty – 534
18. VCU – 568

Men’s Team Results (8k)

1. (7) Wake Forest – 47
2. (19) Virginia – 68
3. (18) Texas – 102
4. (30) Charlotte – 116
5. Eastern Kentucky – 136
6. Cal Poly – 152
7. Ole Miss – 175
8. Virginia Tech – 194
9. Dartmouth – 225
10. Kentucky – 283
11. Penn – 330
12. Boston University – 348
13. William & Mary – 401
14. Johns Hopkins – 402
15. Norfolk State – 465
16. Boston College – 468
17. VCU – 532