HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.- Freshman Hannah Granger placed third overall in the women's race while classmate Ermin Mujezinovic finished sixth in the men's race as the VMI cross country teams competed at the Big South Preview Meet on Friday afternoon in Hendersonville, N.C.
With her time of 18:45 on the 5K course, Granger (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) led the women's team to a fourth-place finish out of the five competing teams, finishing 13 points behind UNC Asheville's third-place total of 76 points and 20 points ahead of Gardner-Webb's 109-point total. High Point took the team title with 38 points, finishing just ahead of Radford's 52-point total.
On the men's side, Mujezinovic (Herndon, Va./Herndon) also took top freshman honors in the race, leading the Keydets to a third-place finish in the five-team race with a 27:22 on the 8K course. High Point (24 points) and Radford (48 points) again took the top two spots in the men's race, while VMI (73 points) placed ahead of Gardner-Webb (80 points) and UNC Asheville (113 points).
“Both freshmen ran great today in some horrible conditions,” said VMI cross country coach Paul Spangler. “Hannah placed third overall and set a new school record in the 5K, and Ermin placed sixth overall in his race. Each was the top freshman in their race, and have really solidified themselves as top contenders for Big South Freshman of the Year. Beyond those two, we were without Emily Fritts today and freshman Erin Hawes stepped up and ran a personal best. The girls ran pretty well overall, but we still have some work to do on the men's side. Andrew Rademaker ran a better race today for us, but High Point is one of the best teams in the region right now, so they were a pretty solid competition for us. Overall, I was proud of how everybody fought through some of the worst conditions you can run in, and I thought the freshmen especially stepped up today.”
Senior Ania Najda (Olsztyn, Poland/Univ. of Warmia and Mazury) placed 15th overall in the women's race with her time of 20:23, followed closely by junior Kelsey Stafford in 17th place with a 20:35. Junior Christina Mowatt-Larssen (Chantilly, Va./Westfield) was the team's fourth finisher in 25th place with a 21:26, followed by freshman Emily Hawes' (Manchester, Va./Manchester) 30th place finish with a 22:23.
Junior Jared Klajnbart (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain) was the men's team's second finisher, coming in 14th overall with a 28:15 clocking. Sophomore Andrew Rademaker (Fork Union, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) placed 16th overall with a 28:24, while Matt Sagar (Alexandria, Va./Bishop Ireton) and Matt Satterwhite (Charlottesville, Va./Western Albemarle) rounded out the scoring by finishing back-to-back in 18th and 19th overall, turning in times of 28:39 and 28:48, respectively. Seniors Kurt Able (28:58, 21st) and Ben Switzer (29:13, 22nd) rounded out the team's top seven in the race.
The Keydets return to action in two weeks, as they host the VMI Invitational at the Virginia Horse Center on Saturday, Sept. 29.
