Just as the multi-colored foliage that carpeted the ground around Panorama Farms indicated that the calendar year was winding down, the field of 279 runners assembled for the ACC Championships also spoke to the waning phase of the cross country season.
Both the men’s and women’s races showcased the excellence of the individual and the drama of team competition. Neither the 13th-ranked Virginia women nor the No. 13 Cavalier men produced the desired results, but the two teams survive to fight — and improve — at the Southeast Regional Championships, as the top-four teams from each race advanced. The Virginia women’s and men’s teams placed third and fourth at championships, respectively.
No. 15 North Carolina won the women’s race with 57 points, ending the six-year streak of ACC titles by 12th-ranked Florida State, who finished second with 99. The 13th-ranked Virginia women claimed bronze with their 109-point outing.
“We knew coming into this that things would be tight,” women’s coach Todd Morgan said. “We felt like we could win, but there was also the reality that we could be fifth. We’re happy with the result, but we’re going to keep pressing on.”
Boston College senior Liv Westphal won the women’s six-kilometer race in a record-shattering time of 19:43.8 — nearly 14 seconds better than the old Panorama Farms mark.
Sophomore Sarah Fakler and graduate students Iona Lake and Morgan Kelly finished back-to-back-to-back in 12th, 13th and 14th place, respectively, and all three were bestowed All-ACC honors. Fakler completed the six-kilometer course in 20:27.2, Lake in 20:31.8, and Kelly in 20:32.7.
“It’s awesome to have your teammates run with you,” Fakler said. “I’ve been either a little too far ahead or a little behind. They pushed me, and I pushed them as well.”
Graduate student Kathleen Stevens finished 25th and sophomore Cleo Boyd crossed the finish line in 45th to round out the top-five for the Cavaliers.
Virginia felt the absence of sophomores Maria Hauger and Jen Flack, who are both redshirting the 2014 season due to injuries.
“[Hauger and Flack] are great leaders and great runners,” Morgan said. “Injuries are something you have to deal with, and this group dealt with them well. They tried to make things happen.”
The 2014 ACC Championship likely seemed like déjà vu for men’s coach Pete Watson. For the second year in a row his team underwhelmed en route to a fourth place finish.
Third-ranked Syracuse backed up its high national ranking with an utter dismantling of the field and a team score of 32. Four Orange runners placed in the top-10, and all members of their scoring seven finished top-15.
North Carolina State finished in a distant second with 90 points. No. 28 North Carolina was in third with 95, and Virginia claimed fourth with 121 points.
The Cavaliers began the race with an aggressive mindset. The pack of Virginia runners came out of the gate hot and attempted to pressure the Orange by running on their heels. Ultimately, the plan failed, but the gamble did not cost the Cavaliers a qualifying spot in the Regional championship.
“We knew there was a lot of great competition out there and we really psyched ourselves up for this meet” sophomore Connor Rog said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go the way we planned, but we are a team that trains for the [10-kilometer] Regionals.”
Rog was the first Cavalier to cross the finish line of the eight-kilometer race, and he did so in 14th-place with a time of 23:40.2. Junior Zach Herriott followed close behind in 23:51.4, which was good for 18th. The duo received All-ACC honors for their exploits.
Sophomore Adam Visokay and junior Kyle King finished in 28th and 29th place, respectively, completing the top-five. The dependable King fought through an uncharacteristic off day which hindered the Cavaliers in their pursuit of Syracuse.
Last season, Virginia rallied from a fourth-place ACC finish to close as the runner-up in the Southeast Regional and take 13th place at the NCAA Championship.
“This is still kind of early for us,” Rog said. “A week ago we were still putting in hard work. I don’t think we were in tip-top shape for this race.”
The Cavaliers preserved the shutout in the Commonwealth Clash Friday. Virginia bested Virginia Tech in both races to add two more points to the ledger — pushing the score to 4.5-0.
Both Virginia squads return to action in two weeks at the Southeast Regional Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
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