Harris' 14th place finish paces Keydets ROCK HILL, S.C. - Sophomore Anthony Harris' time of 26:18 gave him a 14th place finish and led the VMI to a fourth place finish Saturday morning at the Big South Conference Championships.
While Harris (Orlando, Fla./Cypress Creek) led VMI on the day, the team's best performance may have come from sophomore Edwin Lugo. Lugo (Orlando, Fla./Timber Creek), normally the Keydets' number three runner, paced VMI for a majority of the race. He finished five seconds behind Harris, placing 16th in the race.
"Today was a total team effort," said VMI head coach Paul Spangler. "Everybody did a great job, for us to finish in fourth after being picked seventh in the conference's preseason poll is really a great accomplishment. We had a number of guys step up today. Edwin gave us a great effort today, he really came through for us when we needed him to."
Freshman Donnie Mikels (Rustburg, Va./Rustburg) was the third Keydet finisher, as he turned in a 26:30, good enough for 18th place. The Keydets' other two scorers were freshman Matt Bierlein (Orlean, Va./Fauquier), who finished 28th with a 27:05, and junior Shawn Hogan (Salem, N.H./Salem), who ran a 27:12 and finished 32nd overall.
Harris, a biology major, was also named to the Big South All-Academic team for his efforts both on the course and in the classroom.
Freshman Ania Majda (Olsztyn, Poland/Univ. of Warmia and Mazury) was the Keydets' top finisher on the women's side, placing 16th with her personal-best time of 19:13. Junior Amber Blain (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) also recorded a personal best, running a 19:34, which placed her 24th. Sophomore Kathleen Resetar (Fairfax Station, Va./Bishop Ireton) ran a 23:25, good enough for 67th place.
"We had some great performances on the women's side as well," continued Spangler. "Both Amber and Ania ran personal best times, I think it will be great experience with them headed into next season.