COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- It took a couple of months, but the Virginia men's cross country team finally found its stride. And it couldn't have come at a better time.
Coming into the ACC Championships in College Park, Md., the men's season had been defined by unrealized expectations. But on Saturday, the Cavaliers rallied to finish third in the 11-team field, topping highly regarded squads from Duke and Clemson along the way. N.C. State took the team title, edging Florida State 47-48.
"I told them before the race that they needed to be the toughest team on the course, and I feel like they were," Virginia coach Jason Dunn said of the Cavaliers. "They all ran tough, really stuck their noses in it, and kept fighting."
As has been the case in every race over the last two seasons, Will Christian paced the Cavaliers, finishing fifth. But it was Ryan Foster's surprising 16th place finish that served as the key ingredient in Virginia's strong showing.
"Ryan Foster had a big day," Dunn said. "I'm not surprised to see him finish there because he's shown in workouts that he can be with our top guys. I'm relieved to see him finally run like he's capable of, but I'm not surprised."
Normally the team's fourth runner, Foster came in third for the team on Saturday, only two seconds behind team number two runner Soeren Lindner, who finished 15th. Christian's, Lindner's and Foster's strong performances proved just enough for Virginia to squeak past Clemson 85-87 to take third.
Christian, however, was less than thrilled by his fifth-place showing.
"I was pretty disappointed," he said. "I was aiming for top three and I didn't get it."
Four runners -- Christian, Florida State's Andrew Lemoncello and N.C. State's Bobby Mack and Andy Smith -- ran at the head of the pack for most of the race. Lemoncello and Mack traded the lead back and forth, while Smith, the defending conference champ, and Christian hung a step or two behind. With less than a mile to go, Lemoncello surged. Mack was able to respond and went with Lemoncello. Smith and Christian, however, could not and fell off the pace. Lemoncello won by two seconds over Mack, and the weary Christian was passed by Clemson's Itay Magidi in the final 400 meters.
"The course was really tough... and we went out extremely hard," Christian said. "The width of the course was really skinny, so you had to do a lot of fighting and jockeying for position in the beginning. I felt like I was running well until the last mile. Everything I did before then caught up to me."
On the women's side, Virginia finished fifth overall, behind the four highly-ranked teams from North Carolina. Duke dominated the field, placing five runners in the top ten. Virginia did, however, top a strong Florida State squad.
"We did not run real well, but we were still able to be fifth," Dunn said. "I don't feel like we went out and took fifth place, but we got it, so that's all that really matters."
Emily Harrison completed a strong freshman campaign with a ninth place finish that earned her All-ACC honors.
"This year I didn't really know what to expect, kind of going along and making goals as we go," she said. "As we got nearer to [the ACC championship], I started seeing this as a goal... After pre-Nats, I thought I could be [all-conference] if I ran well."
With their regular seasons now complete, both the men's and women's squads turn their attention to NCAA Regionals in two weeks in Greenville, N.C.
Read More
Reflecting on a men’s soccer season that traced a familiar trajectory
By Michael Liebermann and Mofeoluwa Akande | 19 hours agoVirginia, in top form, looked like it could beat anybody, but it faltered in the postseason.
History-making women’s doubles pair reflects on journey to NCAA title
By Gracie Genereux | YesterdayVirginia women's tennis, until a few weeks ago, had never won a doubles title.
Volleyball falls to Saint John’s in second round of NIVC to end season
By Lauren Halak | 3 days agoA historic season ended with a pang of disappointment.
