Hokie ClubLOUISVILLE, Ky. – Six Virginia Tech runners earned all-conference honors, and both the Tech men’s and women’s squads finished in the top three in the team races at the 2017 ACC Men’s and Women’s Championships held Friday morning at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park.
The men’s team finished in second place, while the women’s team equaled the program’s best finish at an ACC meet by coming in third.
“It wasn’t what we had hoped for, but today was the best combined men’s and women’s performances that we’ve ever had at an ACC Cross Country Championship,” Tech cross country head coach Ben Thomas said. “I thought the individual efforts were good today, and we had six All-ACC honors between both squads.
“But both squads we’ll have to be 100 percent healthy and hungry at the regional meet in two weeks if we expect to qualify for NCAAs. I still feel our best team race is out there. I’d love to see both squads at NCAAs, and it’s doable.”
Peter Seufer led the way for the men’s team, which entered the meet ranked No. 11 nationally in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll. Behind the redshirt sophomore’s seventh-place finish, the Hokies came in second in the team standings with 73 points. Syracuse claimed its fifth straight ACC team crown, finishing with 27 points.
Seufer, from Lynchburg, Virginia, ran the 8K course in a time of 23 minutes, 31.4 seconds and earned All-ACC honors. Daniel Jaskowak and Neil Gourley finished 11th and 12th, respectively, while Vincent Ciattei was 18th. Jaskowak finished with a time of 23:52.9, while Gourley ran the course 23:54.7.
Seufer, Gourley and Ciattei earned All-ACC honors for the first time in their careers, while Jaskowak became a two-time All-ACC selection.
Patrick Joseph and Jack Joyce also recorded top-30 finishes, with Joseph coming in 25th and Joyce 27th. Diego Zarate was 32nd.
On the women’s side, Katie Kennedy and Kayla Richardson led the Tech women’s team to a third-place finish. NC State, ranked fifth in the USTFCCCA poll, won the team title with 43 points, followed by Louisville and the Hokies.
Kennedy came in 19th with a time of 20:44.2, while Richardson was right behind her in 20th with a time of 20:46.8. Kennedy earned All-ACC honors for the second time in her career, while Richardson earned the honors for the first time.
Sophomores Laurie Barton and Sarah Edwards each finished in the top 30, with Barton coming in 24th and Edwards 29th. Barton ran the 6K course in a time of 20:52.9, with Edwards roughly 10 seconds behind her. Lauren Berman came in 39th, while Sara Freix was 41st.
CAREER BESTS
* Four runners on the women’s side recorded career-best times for the 6K distance, including: Richardson, Barton, Rachel Pocratsky (21:38.8), and Alyssa Shupe (23:18.8).
* Also, four runners on the men’s side registered career-best times: Ciattei (24:00.3), Joyce (24:06.1), Fitsum Seyoum (24:21.3) and Andrew Eason (24:32.6).
UP NEXT
The Virginia Tech squads resume action next week at the Hokie Open – the final home meet of the season. The meet will be held Friday, Nov. 3 at the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course, with the first race starting at 4:30 p.m.