EARLYSVILLE, Va.- EMU Cross Country laced up their racing shoes for the first time in over two weeks on Saturday, putting their fitness to the test in the South Region Preview, hosted by the University of Lynchburg at the prestigious Panorama Farms Cross Country Course in Earlysville, Virginia. The course will be the site of the NCAA Division III South Region Championships on Saturday, Nov. 14.
The men's team, coming off of wins in their first two meets, were put to the test running a difficult course against some of the best teams in the South Region.
Theo Andreas, the junior from Bluffton, Ohio, led the way with an impressive 8k (4.97 miles) debut.
Ty Blair of Lynchburg won individually with a time of 25:43, beating out Nathaniel Orban of Roanoke by a second. Blair's win buoyed the Hornets to an easy win in the team race with an impressively low score of 28 points.
Highlights
- Team Score: 11th of 16 (279 points)
- Andreas crossed the finish line in 43rd place with a time of 27:54.4.
- Not far behind Andreas was Noah Hagberg, placing 50th and clocking in 28:05.9 for his first college 8k.
- Joshua Reinford was the next Royal across the line in 29:02.6, good for 74th place. He was followed by Luke Buckwalter (98th/29:52) and Jonah Smith (109th/30:11.1) to round out EMU's scoring five.
- Alex Belisle (140th/33:22), Ben Huyard (142nd/33:55.2) and Ben Wheeler (144th/34:05.1) completed the Royals contingent at Panaorama Farms.
What's Next
EMU Men's Cross Country will be back in action in the Richmond Invitational at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va., on Friday, Oct. 2. The men's 8k is slated to start shortly after 9 a.m.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the EMU cross country program this year, follow EMU Athletics on Instagram, like EMU Athletics on Facebook or visit our website.
