Written by Ruben Krishna, Staff Reporter
Roanoke College Cross Country has had a very strong start to the season, boasting some impressive placements at major invitational meets.The men’s team had an impressive performance, placing first of ten teams in the Shenandoah University Twilight Open.They followed that up finishing third out of sixteen teams in the South Region Preview in Charlottesville.
Sophomore Nathaniel Orban put together an impressive final three kilometres to end the race in second place. The course was challenging, yet Orban’s time was a spectacular 25:44 over eight kilometres. The Maroons second runner, sophomore Parker Blosser, was not too far behind with a time of 26:43 and ending up in sixteenth place. 11 of Roanoke’s 12 runners placed in the top 100, and none of them finished in the bottom 20, showcasing the amazing depth within the Roanoke men’s cross country team. ‘Noke’s scoring runners all were in the top 40 and averaged an immaculate time of 27:03.
In spite of this, the Maroons were tied with Berry College for third on points. Fortunately, they had the head-to-head tiebreaker. Roanoke Women’s Cross Country has also started strong, slotting in at 3rd and 7th place in the aforementioned invitations, respectably. Roanoke’s top five runners all finished in the top 50 at the Charlottesville competition. They were headlined by sophomore Maya Herndon, who finished sixteenth with a time of 24:10. Freshman Riley Larimer and freshman Sofia Conrey weren’t too far back, both posting sub-26-minute final times. Sophomore Brooke Eichelberger and sophomore Sadie Teer also finished in the top 50 to aid Roanoke’s impressive placement. Their times were in the mid 26 range on the challenging course. The Women’s team comfortably bested many school rivals including Hollins, Randolph, Bridgewater and Mary Washington. Both teams have had great starts to set the tone for what should be a very exciting season. Make sure to support Roanoke Cross Country as they continue through a rigorous schedule!
