Nov. 6, 2009

Hovland and Keveren Lead Virginia at Cavalier Open
Senior Jen Hovland and sophomore Sean Keveren led the Virginia cross country teams at the annual Cavalier Open at Panorama Farms on Friday evening finishing second and third, respectively.

Keveren, running with the lead pack the entire race, led all Cavaliers across the line in the men's competition. Trailing two unattached runners, Keveren finished third in 25:10.26. Bobby Peavey claimed the title in 24:51.75.

Senior Kevin Tschirhart finished fourth for Virginia in 25:15.94, while sophomore Andrew Mearns took sixth with a time of 25:21.26. Senior Alex Bowman completed the course in 26:02.59 for a 12th-place finish. 

Dow sets Tech Course record to win Hokie Open
Sophomore Sammy Dow won the women’s race at the Hokie Open in record fashion to highlight Tech’s final home meet this season on Friday at the Tech Cross Country Course. There was no team scoring at the meet.

The Hokie women captured the top six spots in the 4,000-meter race, led by Dow who clocked a new 4,000-meter course record with a time of 14:24.3. The Midlothian, Va., native came in just under the former record of 14:24.5, set by Marlies Overbeeke in 2002.

Junior Jessica Trapeni finished second overall in the 21-runner race with a time of 14:26.5, followed by sophomore Lauren Lemieux, who finished four-tenths behind Trapeni, in third. Freshman Kelly Kavanaugh placed fourth, while sophomore Lauren Pinkston and sophomore Erin Stehle took fifth and sixth, respectively.

Berenato Finishes Seventh at Hokie Open
Junior Cate Berenato returned to her hometown to pace the Demon Deacons with a seventh-place finish at Virginia Tech's Hokie Open. Berenato finished the 4-kilometer run at the Virginia Tech Home Cross Country Course in 15:14.6 on Friday, as the women's team fielded three of the 11 quickest times in the event.

Berenato was followed by junior Cristina Richard in 10th with a time of 15:36.8. Sophomore Katy Swain was fewer than five seconds behind Richard, with an 11th-overall finish and time of 15:41.6. Senior Kelly Laffey rounded out the women's competitors, finishing 14th overall of 21 runners with a 16:09.9.

No team scores were reported at the Hokie Open. The top individual finisher in the women's race was Virginia Tech's Sammy Dow with a record-breaking time of 14:23.3.