ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Looking to build off their dominant season opener two weeks ago, the Southern Virginia University men's and women's cross country teams made an appearance at Navy's Cantello Invitational.
It's the second edition of the meet, which honors the late Al Cantello, a legendary coach who led Navy's cross country teams for over 50 years.
Women's Race
In the women's section, the Knights boasted a strong top four, consisting of Emma Hillam, Bayleigh Redd-Armstrong, Sasha Braddy, and Kaylee Horner. With several Division l opponents in attendance, the Southern Virginia quartet had quality opponents to pull them along the challenging course.
Hillam eventually pulled away from her teammates to finish the race in 23rd, completing the 6K course in just over 24 minutes. Not long after, Redd-Armstrong and Braddy finished seconds from each other with times of 24:29 and 24:33.
Kaylee was the Knights' top rookie of the day, finishing 35th for 24:50 in her first attempt at the distance.
The team totaled 129 total points, less than 30 points behind Mount St. Mary's who finished third.
Men's Race
The men's team also competed at their typical distance for the first time and held confidence from their performance just a couple of weeks ago.
Unfazed by the terrain, freshman Taylor Weiland was off and running on his own in the early going, surrounded by quality runners from the likes of Navy and UMBC. He would end the day as Southern Virginia's lead runner, crossing the line in 32nd for a time of 27:29.
Joseph Hughes and Gary Rogers formed a strong tandem in the next group, also finishing inside the top 50.
The Knights edged out Mount St. Mary's to finish fifth as a team. Carter Johnson, Easton Higley, and Truman Meyer helped round out the scoring on the grueling course.
Looking Ahead
The Knights return to action for the Paul Short Run on Friday, October 3rd. They'll compete on Lehigh's well known Goodman Campus Cross Country Course in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
The Knights have a good history at the meet, recording numerous personal bests and one school record when they attended in 2022. The meet also hosts many of the best programs in the country from all levels and is one of the signature meets of the NCAA season.
For the most up-to-date details and information on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightxctf on Instagram.
