After 20 minutes of wading through a muddy and slippery course, the Virginia women's cross country team finally found its footing.
The squad knew little about itself heading into Saturday's Lou Onesty Invitational. They emerged with a clearer picture of what this season could become.
Virginia placed eight of its runners among the first 16 finishers, easily distancing itself from runner-up Virginia Tech to win the meet 56-33.
"I am more convinced that we can be a team that goes to nationals," coach Jason Dunn said. "Today only reinforced that for me."
Freshman Emily Harrison led the team across the line, completing her first collegiate-level 5K in a time of 18:11 that placed her second individually. Five of the next 10 runners to cross the line after her also wore Virginia blue and orange, including third-place finisher junior Nadia Baadj.
While encouraging, the women's victory in the Onesty came against decidedly second-tier competition. William & Mary, for instance, sent its B-squad to the meet, while second-place Virginia Tech lacks depth after its top three runners. All in all, only eight teams and 75 runners competed -- as opposed to a meet like nationals that sees over 30 teams and 300 runners compete.
"I think it's a good move by coach to have a smaller meet first, especially at home where you have home fans giving you so much energy," senior captain Cheryl Carr said. "The way that you race tells you how the team's going to do in the future. We found our teammates, we packed up, and we worked together. If you do that in a small race like this, you hope to transfer that into larger races."
On the men's side in a race against much stronger competition, Virginia turned in a lukewarm performance, placing third and 16 points behind William & Mary, who won the meet 50-46 over Ohio State.
"I think we've got some work to do," Dunn said of his men's team. "I don't think some of our guys focused as well as they needed to. But it wasn't too bad for the first race. I wasn't too disappointed."
The men's individual race wasn't too disappointing either. After laying off the lead for the first part of the 8K race, senior Will Christian used a surge during miles three and four to place himself in the front pack with Liberty's Josh McDougal and Ohio State's Brian Olinger. As the three raced for the line, McDougal pulled away for the victory and Christian coasted in for third.
"I think I went out a little too conservative and just didn't have anything left at the end," said Christian, who won this race last year. "I did a lot of work in the middle of the race, so when I finally caught them, I didn't have enough in me."
The men were without several of their top runners, including transfer Soeren Lindner and captains James Atchison and Dave Vitto.
"I feel good about the group we had [today] knowing who we held out," Dunn said.
The two squads' next meet is in two weeks at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C. On the women's side, the competition will be stiffer, and for the men, it will be the first time this season they compete at full strength.
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