The Virginia cross country team remains undefeated after both the men's and women's teams finished first at the George Mason Invitational last weekend.
The men secured a 13-point lead for the win, placing Columbia in second. The women, meanwhile, managed to inch to a one-point advantage against second-place Georgetown.
The men's team finished with five scoring runners in the top 10, including Junior Emil Henieking who came away with his second consecutive individual title this season.
Sophomore Ryan Collins, who finished second in Saturday's race, said although both squads finished first, the race showed the team can still improve.
"I don't think it was our best finish, but we got out with the win, which is what we wanted," he said.
Meanwhile, the women's team had four scoring runners in the top 10. Junior Catherine White, in her first season with Virginia since transferring from Arkansas, claimed the individual title.
"It was a good win, not just because we won, but because our team came together, and really raced well as a group," she said.
Currently, the men's and women's teams rank 14th and 19th nationally, respectively. National rankings reflect the teams' success thus far but also highlight the fact that the team will need to train hard for the rest of the season, White said.
"We are going to be fighting all season," White said. "I think these first two wins indicate that our training has been going well ... and that we have a lot of potential."
The team's earlier meets help prepare the squads for more challenging races later on, Collins said, adding that maintaining high team expectations can help pave the way to a successful season.
"At this point in the season we totally expected to be where we are," Collins said. "The first two wins are good, they were expected, but our next meet will be our first real test, going against some really good teams."
Though Virginia is currently undefeated, the team still has plenty of room to grow, coach Jason Vigilante said.
"What we are trying to do right now is develop a sense of team, and figure out what we need to do to fill in the gaps, who can step up - basically who's going to lead our team into the competitions that really showcase what we really have," Vigilante said.
The hilltoppers return to action in Charlottesville next Friday as they host the Panorama Farms Invitational, which begins at 4 p.m.
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