Cavaliers have five in top eight, Biladeau named ACC Freshman of the Year
The Virginia men\'s cross country team was a huge treat on
Halloween as they captured the ACC Cross Country Championships, their
first conference title since 1984, with a 4-5-6-7-8 finish that put
them 8 points over second place Florida State. Racing the 8K race at
The Greenway in Tallahassee, Fla., the men came into the meet ranked
18th nationally and were the highest ranked team in the conference.
Jan Foerster, Andrew Dumm, Soeren Lindner, Ryan Foster, Andy
Biladeau, and Alex Tatu all earned All-Conference honors by virtue of
their finish. The top five runners for the Cavaliers crossed the
finish line in a ten-second span, and all eight runners finished
within a minute of each other.
\"This is a great win for Virginia,\" said head coach Jason
Dunn. \"We raced today just like we have trained all year
long-together as a team. The team is disciplined and their depth
shone in the meet.\"
The Cavaliers took the lead from the start, and ran in a
tight pack throughout the 8K to hold off the #19 Seminoles.
Foerster led the Cavaliers for the second consecutive meet,
taking fourth with a time of 24:00.7. Dumm came in a split second
behind him at 24:00. 9. Lindner was next across the line at
24:05.0, and Foster finished three seconds later at 24:08.0. Andy
Biladeau, the Cavaliers\' fifth runner, was the first freshman across
the line and was named the ACC Freshman of the year. His time of
24:10.8 was two seconds better than ninth place, holding off a pair
of Seminoles who finished 9th and 10th overall. Alex Tatu took 13th
to earn All-ACC honors, and he finished just ahead of FSU\'s 5th
runner to push valuable points for the Cavaliers.
The Cavalier women finished sixth overall despite an All-ACC
performance from Emily Harrison for the second consecutive year.
Beset by injuries to two of the top five runners for the Cavaliers,
Virginia tried to rally against the conference, but all five teams
that beat the Cavaliers are ranked in the top-25 nationally, a
testament to the depth in the conference.
\"We have been able to run all year in the nation\'s elite,\"
said Dunn, \"but we have done so at full strength. Losing two in the
top-five against five top-25 teams is a tough call, and good teams
will take advantage of that.\"
Harrison finished 10th in 19:42.3 (the course was actually
5750m, not a full 6K) while Kara Scanlin just missed All-Conference
honors with her 16th place in 19:57.8.
Both the men and the women defeated Virginia Tech, giving the
Cavaliers two crucial points in the Commonwealth Challenge, presented
by Adelphia. After today\'s competition Virginia leads in the
Challenge 3.5 - 1. The next competition in the challenge is the
volleyball match in Blacksburg on Nov. 1.
Women\'s results:
10. Emily Harrison, 19:42.3
16. Kara Scanlin, 19:57.8
43. Laura Hodges, 20:50.9
56. Lauretta Dezubay, 21:17.3
57. Jen Dolson, 21:19.7
64. Katie Read, 21:35.6
77. Kristin Milot, 22:18.3
78. Janine Ricci, 22:20.3
women\'s team scores
1. Duke (#1) 20
2. N. C. State (#9) 91
3. Wake Forest (#12) 104
4. Boston College (#14) 106
5. UNC (#25) 128
6. VIRGINIA (#19) 177
7. Florida State 196
8. Maryland 214
9. Virginia Tech 235
10. Georgia Tech 281
11. Miami 323
12. Clemson 327
men\'s results
4. Foerster, 24:00.4
5. Dumm, 24:00.9
6. Lindner, 24:05.0
7. Foster, 24:08.0
8. Biladeau, 24:10.8
13. Tatu, 24:21.5
26. Jeff Eggleston, 24:43.7
36. Taylor Smith, 24:59.7
men\'s team scores
1. VIRGINIA (#18) 30
2. Florida State (#19) 38
3. N. C. State 103
4. Wake Forest 136
5. Duke 142
6. Virginia Tech 174
7. Clemson 175
8. UNC 198
9. Boston College 201
10. Maryland 304
11. Miami 342
12. Georgia Tech 356