Sept. 22, 2007

NEWTON, N.C. - Both Virginia Tech cross country teams took first place at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational in Newton, N.C., on Friday. The women's and men's teams totaled 15 points apiece, while Appalachian State finished second on both sides with 50 points in the women's race and 49 in the men's.

Tech runners took the top three individual spots in the 5k women's race, led by junior Tasmin Fanning's first-place time of 18:51.

Senior Billy Berlin became the third different Hokie to lead the men's team this season. Berlin finished second overall in the individual standings of the 6k men's race with a time of 26:46.74.

Florida State: Women - 1st
(Florida State Invitational: Tallahassee, Fla.)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State women's cross country team dominated competition at the 5k FSU Invitational for the fifth year in a row, taking the win with 31 points. In the team's only home race of the season, freshman Pilar McShine finished the first collegiate race of her career at the head of the pack, leading the Seminoles to victory.

"I've been telling her [McShine] the last couple of weeks how much fitter she's getting," said women's coach Karen Harvey. "I told her yesterday in my office, `You can win this race,' and she just went out there and did it. She looked strong and she just kept eating away at the leader."

Miami: Men - 5th; Women - 5th
(Bulldog Stampede Invitational: Athens, Ga.)

ATHENS, Ga. - The University of Miami men's cross country team took fifth place Saturday morning at the 2007 Bulldog Stampede Invitational hosted by the University of Georgia at the UGA Golf Course.

Led by senior Alex Paley's 22nd-place time of 26:41.12 in the 8,000-meter race, the Hurricanes finished fifth out of 10 teams with a total 143 points. Paley was part of a six-person UM contingent that finished with an average time of 27:33.26.