Cavs Take Inaugural UVa-Wise Cross Country Open

September 29, 2007

Wise, Va. – In a relaxed meet, the Highland Cavaliers captured the inaugural UVa-Wise cross country Open ran on Saturday at Camp Bethel. Brittany Killough grabbed the women’s top spot while Collin Skeen was runner-up on the men’s side.

The open was a very small and one that Cavs’ head coach Jason Lewkowicz hopes to expand the field in the coming years. UVa-Wise captured the men’s title with a score of 24 over Hiwassee (54) while the Lady Cavs was the lone team of three women’s squads to score.

Killough took the women’s race (18:16) by just over a minute in the 5k to keep her outstanding performances going in her first year. Tamara Haack (22:48) had her personal best performance of 22:48 for seventh. Maureen Seibold (23:21) and Therese McMahon (25:01) were eighth and ninth. Leah Arthur (25:24) and Brandi Bailey (31:05) were the final two women in 11th and 12th.

Behind Skeen’s runner-up, the Cavs took four of the top five men’s places in the shortened 5k event. Skeen crossed the line four seconds behind Simon Holzapfel of Tusculum in 16:04. Stephen Gregory and Spencer Adams followed in third (16:22) and fourth (17:15).

Landon Smith, Derek Bunch and Britten Olinger rounded out the top 10 placers for UVa-Wise in seventh (18:18), eighth (18:20) and ninth (18:25). Aaron McMahon completed the men’s runners in 11th (19:39) for a good showing in his first collegiate race.

The Cavs runners will head to the Hagan Stone Classic next Saturday in Greensoboro, NC where they will compete against approximately 25 other colleges/universities, with several DI schools including Duke.

Women's results (5K):
1. UVa-Wise  36
2. Milligan  No Team Score
3. Tusculum  No Team Score

1. Brittany Killough, UVa-Wise 18:16
2. Emily Schmitt, Milligan 19:17
3. Shanna Raines, Milligan 20:03
4. Alicja Dembna, Tusculum 20:14
5. Brooke Underwood, Tusculum 20:22
6. Kayla Moody, Milligan 21:32
7. Tamara Haack, UVa-Wise 22:48
8. Maureen Seibold, UVa-Wise 23:21
9. Therese McMahon, UVa-Wise 25:01
10. Nicole Dodgen, Milligan 25:23
11. Leah Arthur, UVa-Wise 25:24
12 Brandi Bailey, UVa-Wise 31:05

Men's results (5K)
1. UVa-Wise  24
2. Hiwassee  54
3. Tusculum  NTS

1. Simon Holzapfel, Tusculum 16:00
2. Collin Skeen, UVa-Wise 16:04
3. Stephen Gregory, UVa-Wise 16:22
4. Spencer Adams, UVa-Wise 17:15
5. Matthew Cox, Hiwassee 17:56
6. Donald White, Tusculum 17:57
7. Landon Smith, UVa-Wise 18:18
8. Derek Bunch, UVa-Wise 18:20
9. Britten Olinger, UVa-Wise 18:25
10. Peter Kamau, Hiwassee 19:30
11. Aaron McMahon, UVa-Wise 19:09
12. Matthew Wright, Hiwassee 21:23
13. Marquis Smith, Hiwassee 21:45
14. Dustin Watson, Hiwassee 22:09
15. Andy Kjeldgaard, Hiwassee 22:36
16. Jarvis Moore, Hiwassee 22:40
17. Connor Graves, Tusculum 22:52
18. Brandon Keys, Tusculum 23:28
19. Jason Seaton, Tusculum 23:49