Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va.- Sophomores Ryan Witt and Jessica Trapeni won the men’s and women’s Hokie Open races for the Virginia Tech cross country squads on Saturday at the Tech Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Va.
On a cold, windy day, Witt placed first in the race with a time of 19:42, less than a minute off the 6k course record set by Chris Padilla at the 2007 Hokie Open. Sophomores Matt Saunders and Eddie Judge came in third and fourth, respectively, while freshman Logan Collins earned fifth.
Trapeni ran well for the Hokie women, crossing the line in 17:42 for the women’s Hokie Open title. Sophomore Lindsey King and freshman Chrissy Sane also collected top-five finishes, placing second and fourth, respectively.
“Jess Trapeni and Lindsey King had really solid races, and both earned spots to go to [the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet] and that will be a great experience for them,” Tech head coach Ben Thomas said. “Same with Ryan Witt, he earned a spot to go to the regional meet also. He had a good, strong race with one of the faster times ever run on our 6k course. We got out of the meet just the way we wanted and we are looking forward to this weekend.”
As a team, the Tech men racked up 15 points for the meet crown. The Hokie women won the meet with 20 points.
The Hokies will next travel to the regional meet in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Nov. 15. Senior Tasmin Fanning will look to improve on her third-place showing at the meet last season, while the men’s squad will be running for their first berth to the NCAA Cross Country Championships since 1987. Results will be posted on hokiesports.com following the meet.
Men’s Results
1, Ryan Witt, Virginia Tech, 19:42, 2, Jason Cusack, Unnattached, 19:50, 3, Matt Saunders, Virginia Tech, 19:55, 4, Eddie Judge, Virginia Tech, 20:10, 5, Logan Collins, Virginia Tech, 20:12
Women’s Results
1, Jessica Trapeni, Virginia Tech, 17:42, 2, Lindsey King, Virginia Tech, 17:53, 3, Rachel Travitz, Radford, 18:43, 4, Chrissy Sane, Virginia Tech, 19:01, 5, Nicole Pederson, VT Triathlon, 19:14