HARRISONBURG, Va. - It was a picture-perfect evening for the Southern Virginia University women's cross country team. The Knights placed seven runners in the top ten to comfortably secure a season opening victory at Eastern Mennonite's Heritage Cross Country Invitational.
The Knights are coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history, but proved they're in search of more in 2025.
After a clean start, a front group of eight was formed in the opening mile which comprised five Southern Virginia runners. At the midway point, Sasha Braddy and Emma Hillam took charge and stretched the race out.
The team's quality depth was on full display throughout the evening as all eleven team members found themselves in the front half of the field.
Freshmen Kaylee Horner and Arianna Larchar showed great promise in their collegiate debuts. They managed to stay connected with the top group for most of the race and provide the team with a superb top five.
Hillam, a sophomore transfer, made a surge in the final half mile which led her to victory, finishing the course in a meet record of 18:55. Not far behind, Braddy managed to secure second while Bayleigh Redd-Armstrong was the third Knight to appear in the top five.
Horner and Larchar finished sixth and seventh respectively, while Jasmine De Souza and Kyra Lee rounded out the top ten.
Kenia Reynolds, Emmalee Gabrylczyk, Samantha Olsen, and Alicia Ostrom all finished within the top 18 to cap off a dominant performance for Southern Virginia.
Looking Ahead
The Knights set their sights on Navy's Cantello Invitational in Annapolis, Maryland. The meet takes place on Saturday, September 13th, and will be the team's first ever trip to the event.
For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightxctf on Instagram.
