kevin shank - all-socon second team
Todd Drexler/SoConPhotos

Men's Cross Country

Men’s Cross Country finishes strong at SoCon Championship

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Virginia Military Institute men's cross country team delivered a strong performance at the 2024 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships with a well-executed race strategy.
 
Complete Results
VMI Individual Results - SnapTiming
 
The VMI men finished in seventh place overall with 143 points. Furman took first with a perfect score of 15 points followed by Wester Carolina (94) and UNCG (108)
 
Leading the way, Kevin Shank placed 10th with a time of 25:05.9, narrowly missing a personal best by only 0.8 seconds and earning a spot on the All-Southern Conference Second Team. Two other team members set lifetime-best performances: Jackson Geisendaffer clocked a 26:48.50, shaving 29 seconds off his previous best, while Patrick Kiernan finished in 26:57.90, marking a 23-second improvement in his final Southern Conference cross country race.
 
The team demonstrated a tight pack, with a gap of just under two minutes between the first and fifth scorers and improved their team score with each lap.
 
Other key contributors included Patrick Lowry (26:02.90) and Ben Hagerich (26:03.20), who ran nearly identical times. Colin Crenshaw (27:29.90) and Peter Fiorillo (28:23.70) completed the team's efforts.
 
Up Next
Select team members will compete at the NCAA Southeast Regional slated for Friday, November 15, hosted by Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
 
Team Results  
With multiple lifetime bests and a strong pack, the VMI men's team demonstrated significant growth and competitiveness at the conference championship.
 
 
2024 SoCon Cross Country Championships  
Men's Results 
Team                     Points    
1. Furman     -      15             
2. Western Carolina - 94 
3. UNCG - 108 
4. Samford - 116 
5. Chattanooga - 118  
6. Mercer   - 125   
7. VMI - 143 
8. ETSU - 231  
9. Wofford - 284  
10. Citadel - 290 


2024 Southern Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year    
Dylan Schubert, Furman    
 
Freshman of the Year    
Colin Eckerman, Furman  
 
Coach of the Year    
Robert Gary, Furman 
 
Pinnacle Award    
Luke Taylor, Furman    
 
All-SoCon First Team    
Dylan Schubert, Furman 
Carson Williams, Furman 
Christopher Knight, Furman 
Evan Guzman, Furman 
Colin Eckerman, Furman 
Nicholas Goldstein, Furman  
Jackson Martin, Chattanooga 
    
All-SoCon Second Team    
Luke Taylor, Furman  
Drew Zink, Western Carolina 
Kevin Shank, VMI 
Chase Thurber, Western Carolina 
Colin Keck, UNCG 
Jacob Peters, Mercer 
Foster Wilfong, Furman 

All-Freshman Team    
Christopher Knight, Furman 
Colin Eckerman, Furman 
Derek Mitchell, Chattanooga 
Logan Ruffner, UNCG 
Arthur Langley, Samford 
Stephen Jones, Samford 
Ian Etheridge, Chattanooga 
 



 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Colin Crenshaw

Colin Crenshaw

Sophomore
Ben Hagerich

Ben Hagerich

5' 9"
Junior
Patrick Kiernan

Patrick Kiernan

Senior
Patrick Lowry

Patrick Lowry

Sophomore
Kevin Shank

Kevin Shank

Sophomore
Peter Fiorillo

Peter Fiorillo

Freshman
Jackson Geisendaffer

Jackson Geisendaffer

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Colin Crenshaw

Colin Crenshaw

Sophomore
Ben Hagerich

Ben Hagerich

5' 9"
Junior
Patrick Kiernan

Patrick Kiernan

Senior
Patrick Lowry

Patrick Lowry

Sophomore
Kevin Shank

Kevin Shank

Sophomore
Peter Fiorillo

Peter Fiorillo

Freshman
Jackson Geisendaffer

Jackson Geisendaffer

Freshman