Jillian Sisk ’27 paced the Keydets in 34th place in 18:38, helping the women’s team place eighth at the Southern Conference Championship race with 231 points Nov. 2, 2024.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
The VMI men’s and women’s cross country teams enjoyed another successful campaign as several runners from both squads improved their personal records in 2024.
The VMI men’s season was highlighted by Kevin Shank ’27 earning All-Southern Conference Second Team honors for the second year in a row as he placed 10th overall with an 8K time of 25:05.9, narrowly missing out on a new personal record time for the distance.
The VMI men finished the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships in seventh place overall with 143 points in Greenville, South Carolina, Nov. 2. Two other team members set lifetime-best performances: Jackson Geisendaffer ’28 clocked a 26:48.50, shaving 29 seconds off his previous best, while Patrick Kiernan ’25 finished in 26:57.90, marking a 23-second improvement in his final Southern Conference cross country race.
Another highlight for the men came at the final race of the year when several team members competed at the NCAA Southeast Regional in Rock Hill, South Carolina, hosted by Winthrop University. Racing in challenging and muddy conditions, the VMI men’s and women’s teams finished strong in a field of 41 schools and showcased grit and determination.
The VMI men placed 26th overall in the field, led by Shank with a 10K time of 32:14. Following him were Patrick Lowry ’27, Kiernan, Geisendaffer, Colin Crenshaw ’27, and Ben Hagerich ’26, who pushed through tough conditions to contribute to the team’s overall effort.
The women’s team placed eighth at the SoCon Championship race with 231 points. Jillian Sisk ’27 paced the Keydets in 34th place in 18:38 and was pursued closely by Gretal Shank ’25, who earned a lifetime-best 6K time of 18:43.7—20 seconds faster than her previous mark.
Competing in her final SoCon Cross Country Championships, Shank demonstrated impressive growth and competitive spirit. Additionally, Hayden Talbott ’27 and Natalia Dias ’28 each ran the fastest 5K of their careers, improving by 22 seconds. Talbott finished in 21:54.7, while Dias came in at 21:17.2, further bolstering VMI’s scoring depth.
As the third Keydet to cross the finish line, Reagan Gilman ’28 earned a strong performance of 19:02.3 to garner SoCon All-Freshman Team honors.
The Keydets missed out on two meets during the season, including the Sept. 28 meet at Winthrop, due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene impacting the Carolinas and surrounding regions. VMI was also unable to compete at the Paul Short Run in early October due to a scheduling conflict with Fall FTX on post.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published at vmikeydets.com.
