CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Daniel DeNijs finished 92nd overall, pacing the VMI men's cross country team at the season-ending SE Regional Championships Friday at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va. The Keydets finished 19th overall in the team standings for the 10K race.
DeNijs crossed the line in 31:48.60, and made up a large amount of time in the middle of the race. He gained 34 positions from the 2K mark to the 8K mark of the event.
Brandon White was VMI's #2 runner, as he crossed the line in 98th with a time of 31:51.50. Two runners running their first 10K's, Kyle Sabourin and Jay Broom, were next in the finishing order at 101st (31:53.10) and 102nd (31:53.40), respectively. Sabourin picked up 15 spots over the final 2K of the race, while Broom gained 13 positions during that time.
Sean Helmke was VMI's #5 runner (134th/32:32.10), while Avery Martin (151st/32:54.10) and Patrick Spahn (178th/33:45.70) rounded out the Keydet results.
"I am pleased that we placed four men in the top 100 of the toughest region in the country," said VMI distance coach Dr. Drew Ludtke. "We showed solid depth and have some young athletes who really stepped up and ran well today. We are excited about the future of both programs."
The Keydets finished 19th in the team standings with 515 points, 45 markers behind Richmond's 18th-place result. Appalachian State (433) and Clemson (440) finished 16th and 17th.
Thomas Curtin of Virginia Tech won the men's race, while Louisville bested Virginia for the team title.
The Keydets sent two women to the meet, Bethany King and Kennedy Flynn, as well. Each were competing at the event for the first time, and due to not sending a full team, the Keydets did not post a team result. King crossed the line 170th (24:02) and Flynn finished 194th (24:40) on the 6K course.
"Our ladies both ran regionals for the first time and put solid performances together," said Coach Ludtke. "I am happy Bethany and Kennedy were able to get good experience at this meet that we can continue to build on."
Virginia won the team title for the women's race, while Letitia Saayman of Coastal Carolina was the individual champion.
