Wahoo Wire

On Sunday, October 25th, both the men’s and women’s club cross country teams finished in 1st place at the NIRCA Southeast Regional meet hosted by James Madison University at Burtner Farms, Penn Laird, VA. For the second year in a row, both Virginia teams were able to clinch the title; the cavalier women finished with a mere 23 points, a near perfect score, while the Wahoo males won with an impressive 45.

Leading the Wahoo women was Clare Whitsa, who was the first individual finisher for the 6k race, with a time of 23: 40. With a slight drift in the early stages of the race, Whitsa ran with the pack before breaking off in the last mile of the race and leading the Virginia squad to the finish. Rounding out the top five female finishers for UVA were Carolyn Shaw, Holly Rich, Laura Brown, and Kerry Kelley, who finished 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th, respectively.

Thomas McConnel was the first Virginia runner to finish on the men’s side, with a final time of 26:45 for the Men’s 8k – a sizzling 5:21 mile pace. McConnel’s third place preceded a quick 4-5-6 with UVA’s Miko Clark out battling Georgetown’s Jordan Megna for a 5th place finish. Clark’s final time was 27:17, an equally impressive 5:27 per mile clip, which was just 9 seconds fast enough to edge out his steep competition. Alex Witken, Caleb Doan, and Ben Cohen were the 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finishers for UVA, sealing the dual Virginia victory with their respective 9th, 12th, and 16th place finishes.

“We’ve got a lot of new talent this year,” said 4th year runner Shelby Catlett of the 2009 Virginia Women’s Squad. “We were fortunate in that we didn’t lose many of our top runners to last year’s graduation.”

This statement may also ring true of the men’s squad: of the top five runners to finish for Virginia in the 2009 Regional Contest, all were contributing members of last years varsity component within the club, and as only one of the five are presently 4th years, this success will likely continue next year.

With the potential that both teams have exhibited thus far in the season, including a 1st place victory for the girls and a 2nd place finish for the boys at the Princeton Invitational on October 3rd, both teams are poised to place very well at Nationals, this year to be held at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, campus.

“With the depth we have this year, especially of fast, dedicated runners,” commented Jessica Wolter, a 2nd year, “We could win nationals. If we can get everyone there and running their best, we really could.”

Wolter’s sentiments are echoed by the men’s squad, which has moved up in national ranking since the regional meet. Both the men’s and women’s team are currently ranked third in the nation, as voted in by NIRCA affiliates.

However, with the national competition looming, such a ranking presents both a goal and a challenge for UVA’s club cross-country team. A registered team with the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association (NIRCA), the University of Virginia Club Cross Country Team is an organization, founded in 2007, that has quickly become one of the fastest growing and most popular club sporting organizations on grounds.

With about 90 undergrads and graduate students, the team competes against every other university running club in the country at the national, regional, and local level. However, as the club team consists of non-recruited athletes, they receive no monetary compensation for the travel expenses requisite for competing at the national level – it is for this reason that the club has been fundraising furiously throughout the semester, including bake sales, Boylan Bar Nights, and a soon-to-come Qdoba Night.

The team will host a 5k on University grounds this coming Saturday, Oct. 31st, at 9 am. The “Monster Mash 5k Dash” features an optional costume contest, music, candy, and prizes – not to mention a complementary t-shirt (designed by the team’s own Collen Rossier) with registration. Those interested in supporting the team may register online ($12 in advance for UVA students) or on race day ($15) at Newcomb Plaza, where the 5k will begin.

For more information about the Virginia Club Cross Country Team, visit their website at http://www.uvaclubcrosscountry.webs.com