MARYVILLE, Tenn.- Junior Donnie Mikels-Cowart led the VMI men's cross country team to a sixth place finish among collegiate entries at the University of Tennessee Invitational, held on Friday afternoon at the Lambert Acres Golf Course in Maryville, Tenn. The University of Louisville won the team event by placing four runners in the top 11, while Andy Baksa, running unattached, took the individual title.

The Keydets took on a tough field in the event, with several regionally-ranked teams among the 10 collegiate entries. The team finished just eight points back of Georgia Tech, while defeating Chattanooga, Austin Peay, Bryan and Maryville.

"The field at this event includes four of the top ten teams in the NCAA Southeast region, and Georgia Tech is right there with them," said head coach Paul Spangler. "We were really focused on Chattanooga, who is usually one of the top two teams in the Southern Conference, and Georgia Tech, who competes in the ACC. We were able to knock off Chattanooga, and I knew it would take one of our best efforts to beat Georgia Tech, and we came very close to doing so. I was very excited to see freshman Jonathan Buckland step up, he was our third guy today, and he ran a great race on a tough course. Anthony Harris was not at 100% today, but he still finished second for us. From here we'll just get ready for the Paul Short Invitational coming up in a couple of weeks."

Mikels-Cowart led the team with his time of 28:06 on the 8,400 meter course, good enough for 24th overall. Harris placed 31st overall with his time of 28:26, while Buckland came in just behind at 36th overall with a 28:32. Other scoring members for the Keydets included sophomore Pat Eggleston (43rd, 28:58) and junior Kurt Able (50th, 29:12). Other Keydet competitiors in the race included junior Ben Switzer (57th, 29:37), senior Graham Forbes (72nd, 30:28), freshman Matt Sagar (76th, 30:51), sophomore Kevin Sullivan (78th, 30:54) and freshman Matt Satterwhite (79th, 30:59).

The team returns to action in two weeks, as they head north to Pennsylvania for the Paul Short Invitational, hosted by Lehigh on Friday, Sept. 29.