Cross Country SoCon Championships Brings Personal Bests, Strong Performances

VMI men’s and women’s cross country teams delivered strong performances at the 2024 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships in Greenville, South Carolina, Nov. 2. The men’s team finished in seventh place, and the women’s team finished in eighth overall.

Men’s Cross Country

Complete Results

The VMI men finished in seventh place overall with 143 points. Furman took first with a perfect score of 15 points, followed by Western Carolina (94) and UNCG (108).

Leading the way, Kevin Shank ’27 placed 10th with a time of 25:05.9, narrowly missing a personal best by only 0.8 seconds and earning a spot on the All-Southern Conference Second Team. 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.

The team demonstrated a tight pack, with a gap of just under 2 minutes between the first and fifth scorers, and improved their team score with each lap.

Other key contributors included Patrick Lowry ’27 (26:02.90) and Ben Hagerich ’26 (26:03.20), who ran nearly identical times. Colin Crenshaw ’27 (27:29.90) and Peter Fiorillo ’28 (28:23.70) completed the team’s efforts.

Team Results

• Kevin Shank ’27 – 25:05.9 (10th, All-Southern Conference Second Team)
• Patrick Lowry ’27 – 26:02.90 (26th)
• Ben Hagerich ’26 – 26:03.20 (27th)
• Jackson Geisendaffer ’28 – 26:48.50 (Lifetime Best) (41st)
• Patrick Kiernan ’25 – 26:57.90 (Lifetime Best) (47th)
• Colin Crenshaw ’27 – 27:29.90 (56th)
• Peter Fiorillio ’28 – 28:23.70 (68th)

With multiple lifetime bests and a strong pack, the VMI men’s team demonstrated significant growth and competitiveness at the conference championship.

Men’s Results

Team – Points

1. Furman – 15
2. Western Carolina – 94
3. UNCG – 108
4. Samford – 116
5. Chattanooga – 118
6. Mercer – 125
7. VMI – 143
8. ETSU – 231
9. Wofford – 284
10. Citadel – 290

2024 Southern Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year
Dylan Schubert, Furman

Freshman of the Year
Colin Eckerman, Furman

Coach of the Year
Robert Gary, Furman

Pinnacle Award
Luke Taylor, Furman

All-SoCon First Team
Dylan Schubert, Furman
Carson Williams, Furman
Christopher Knight, Furman
Evan Guzman, Furman
Colin Eckerman, Furman
Nicholas Goldstein, Furman
Jackson Martin, Chattanooga

All-SoCon Second Team
Luke Taylor, Furman
Drew Zink, Western Carolina
Kevin Shank, VMI
Chase Thurber, Western Carolina
Colin Keck, UNCG
Jacob Peters, Mercer
Foster Wilfong, Furman

All-Freshman Team
Christopher Knight, Furman
Colin Eckerman, Furman
Derek Mitchell, Chattanooga
Logan Ruffner, UNCG
Arthur Langley, Samford
Stephen Jones, Samford
Ian Etheridge, Chattanooga

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Women’s Cross Country

Complete Results

The women’s cross-country team showcased impressive depth and resilience at the Southern Conference Championships, highlighted by personal bests and strong pacing throughout the race.

The Keydets placed eighth overall in the race with 231 points. Nationally ranked host Furman kept the team trophy at home with 19 points, followed by Samford in second with 50 points. Chattanooga placed third overall with 81 points.

Gretal Shank ’25 had a standout performance, setting a lifetime best of 18:43.7—20 seconds faster than her previous record. Competing in her final Southern Conference cross country championship, 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 team managed to tighten the gap between its No. 1 and No. 5 runners to just over 2 minutes, which boosted their overall score beyond expectations as they gained ground with each lap.

Team Results

• Jillian Sisk ’27 led VMI with a time of 18:38.
• Gretal Shank ’25 closely followed with her personal best of 18:43.7.
• Reagan Gilman’28 maintained a strong position, clocking in at 19:02.3. This performance also put her in a place to be part of the freshmen All-Southern Conference team.
• Nathalie Lavender ’26 and Samantha Layton ’28 rounded out the top five, finishing in 20:27.4 and 20:50.6, respectively.
• Natalia Dias ’28 and Hayden Talbott ’27 achieved lifetime bests with times of 21:17.2 and 21:54.7.
• Caroline Fiorillo ’25 completed the team’s efforts with a time of 22:52.4

VMI Women

34th – Jillian Sisk ’27 – 18:38.0
36th – Gretal Shank ’25 – 18:43.7
45th – Reagan Gilman ’28 – 19:02.3 – SoCon All-Freshman Team
69th – Nathalie Lavender ’26 – 20:27.4
76th – Samantha Layton ’28 – 20:50.6
79th – Natalia Dias ’28 – 21:17.2
82nd – Hayden Talbott ’27 – 21:54.7
83rd – Caroline Fiorillo ’25 – 22:52.4

Women’s Results

Team – Points

1. Furman – 19
2. Samford – 50
3. Chattanooga – 81
4. ETSU – 130
5. Mercer – 97
6. Western Carolina – 202
7. UNCG – 202
8. VMI – 231
9. Wofford – 243
10. The Citadel – 289

2024 Southern Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year
Carly Wilkes, Furman

Freshman of the Year
Felicity Hamilton, Samford

Coach of the Year
Rita Gary, Furman

Pinnacle Award
Jenna Mulhern, Furman

All-SoCon First Team
Carly Wilkes, Furman
Kaylie Armitage, Furman
Jenna Mulhern, Furman
Lesley Boyd, Chattanooga
Sierra Bower, Furman
Adeline Haisch, Samford
Sikenesh Parker, Samford

All-SoCon Second Team
Megan Marvin, Furman
Maddie Wheatcroft, Chattanooga
Edie Smith, Samford
Nicole Matysik, Furman
Katie Keller, Samford
Emma Jones, Furman
Madelyn Cadeau, Furman

All-Freshman Team
Felicity Hamilton, Samford
Deena Ludtke, ETSU
Paula Sandoval, Mercer
Reagan Cooke, Mercer
Ellie von Herrmann, Chattanooga
Reagan Gilman, VMI
Claire Bauer, Mercer

Editor’s Note: These articles were first published at vmikeydets.com.