Ohio continued its strong start to the season, as the women's team placed second and the men's team placed third at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational last weekend.
The Bobcats were one of nine teams present at the event. Their competition included: East Tennessee State, Akron, Virginia Military Institute, Lynchburg, Radford and Longwood.
Despite the heavy competition, the men’s and women’s teams both held their weight, finishing within the top three places of their meets. The men ran the 8k race, while the women took on the 6k.
The women’s team looked strong throughout the meet, as they finished only behind host, and ACC opponent, Virginia Tech.
With 93 runners present, the Bobcats earned second place with 69 points, just behind the Hokies. Alyssa Atkinson gained third place, running 21:36.3. Ohio also garnered contributions from Emily Deering, Madison Sury and Abby Miller who ran times below 22:50, finishing 20th, 21st and 22nd respectively. Emily Cass also had a notable time of 23:09.1, finishing 31st.
Assistant coach for the men's team, Mitch Bentley, said his main goal for this invitational was for the team to be relaxed.
They displayed that sense of calmness, finishing in third place with 112 runners present. The men ranked only behind Virginia and Liberty University, as the Bobcats scored 63 points, with a time of 2:07:26.
Ohio was led by Michael McKean who earned ninth place, running 25:06.5. A week after being named “Beast of the week,” Kyle Bussard showcased another strong performance finishing 19th at 25:19.6. Alex Wind and Zach Zimmerman weren’t far behind finishing 21st and 22nd with times of 25:28.0 and 25:35.4.
Ohio has the next week off from meets, and considering that September is winding down, this time off will be crucial as the Bobcats prepare for the steeper competition that lies ahead in the coming months of October and November.
The Bobcats next meet falls on September 30th in Cedarville, Ohio, at the All-Ohio Championships.
