Hokie ClubCLEMMONS, N.C. - Senior Tasmin Fanning solidified her spot in the Virginia Tech cross country record books Saturday, as the 2007 cross country All-American won the NCAA Cross Country Southeast Regional at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, N.C., a first in program history.
Fanning’s effort helped the Tech women to a seventh-place finish as a team with 226 points. The Charlottesville, Va., native covered the 6,000-meter race in 20:07.8 and finished ahead of North Carolina’s Brianna Felnagle by almost seven seconds. The victory ensures Fanning a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 24.
“I was very proud of Tasmin Fanning’s win today against the field,” Tech head coach Ben Thomas said. “She ran a smart race and just powered away from the field at the end.”
Senior Erin Reddan ended her Tech cross country career on a high note, placing 20th in the field of 231 runners, to collect all-region honors for the first time. The Bricktown, N.J., native crossed the line in 21:34.9. Reddan was followed by Fanning’s sister, Jessica Fanning, who came in 50th overall. Junior Natalie Kretzer and freshman Lauren Pinkston rounded out the scoring for the Hokies, finishing 56th and 99th, respectively.
On the men’s side, Virginia Tech ended up with 197 points for a seventh-place finish in the 10,000-meter race. Senior Phillip Padilla led the way for the men in the 212-runner field, registering a 23rd-place finish with a time of 31:23.40, and earning his first all-region honor.
Following Padilla closely, junior Devin Cornwall took 26th with a time of 31:33.40. Sophomore Matt Kroetch placed 34th, while a pair of freshmen, Brian Welch and Michael Hammond, completed the team scoring for the Hokies with 55th and 61st-place finishes, respectively.
“I was very happy with senior Erin Reddan and also senior Phil Padilla who finished their careers with all-region performances,” Thomas said. “Overall this is an experience that our team will learn from.”
William and Mary captured the men’s team crown, tallying 66 points for the region’s title, while Samuel Chelanga of Liberty was the individual champion of the men’s competition. Virginia won the women’s team event with 105 points.
The NCAA Championships take place at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 24. Results will be posted on hokiesports.com following the meet.