VMI women’s cross country finished in seventh place to top Gardner-Webb, Belmont Abbey, and Southern Wesleyan at the Furman Invitational in Greenville, South Carolina, Sept. 14, 2024.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
VMI men’s and women’s cross country competed at the Furman Invitational, with the men’s team placing fifth and the women’s team placing seventh overall, at Furman Golf Course in Greenville, South Carolina, Sept. 14, 2024.
“Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams put in strong efforts at the Furman Invitational, using the race as a critical opportunity to preview the conference championship course.
“The men’s team continued their upward trend, showing improvement from their fifth-place finish at Richmond. Multiple athletes notched personal bests, further solidifying the team’s competitiveness heading into the latter part of the season. The women’s team, which finished 10th at Richmond, showed great determination and improvement on the Furman course. While no personal bests were recorded, all athletes delivered solid performances, providing a strong foundation heading into the rest of the season.”
The Keydets placed fifth with 129 points on the day to beat Southern Wesleyan (143), Belmont Abbey (209), Wofford (237), and Gardner-Webb (264). Host Furman won the meet with 19 points to top Charleston Southern (57), UNC–Asheville (93), and Western Carolina (122) ahead of VMI’s fifth place out of nine total schools competing.
Kevin Shank ’27 led VMI with a 21st-place finish in a personal-best time of 18:37, one second before Benjamin Hagerich ’26, who came in 22nd with a personal-best time of 18:38. Patrick Lowry ’27 was the third VMI runner to finish in 28th overall (PR 18:50), while Colin Crenshaw ’27 (54th, PR 20:01) and Brian Tavenner ’25 (56th, PR 20:04) also scored team points.
Newcomer Luke Gaylor ’28 led the remaining VMI runners, arriving in 57th overall in 20:06, then Patrick Kiernan ’25 (PR 20:16) and Jackson Geisendaffer ’28 (PR 20:22).
VMI men’s cross country placed fifth with 129 points, beating Southern Wesleyan (143), Belmont Abbey (209), Wofford (237), and Gardner-Webb (264) at the Furman Invitational.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
Michael Kelley ’27, Sullivan McGreevy ’28, Peter Fiorillo ’28, and James Gao ’28 also competed for VMI in the race.
Kevin Shank ’27 – Achieved another personal best, leading the way for the team with a strong finish.
Patrick Lowry ’27 – Followed up his Richmond performance with a personal best, demonstrating consistency.
Benjamin Hagerich ’26 – Posted a personal best, showing great progress.
Luke Gaylor ’28 – Delivered a solid performance, contributing significantly to the team score.
Brian Tavenner ’25 – Recorded a personal best, continuing his steady improvement.
Patrick Kiernan ’25 – Also earned a personal best, helping strengthen the team’s depth.
Peter “Auggie” Fiorillo ’28 – Provided reliable support with a strong race.
Jackson Geisendaffer ’28 – Improved with a personal best, adding depth to the team.
Colin Crenshaw ’27 – Personal best, contributing to the overall team effort.
Sullivan McGreevy ’28 – Set a personal best, helping the team finish strong.
Michael Kelley ’27 – Personal best, making a solid impact on the team’s result.
James Gao ’28 – Ran a solid race, rounding out the men’s team effort.
Furman – 19
Charleston So. – 57
UNC–Asheville – 93
W. Carolina – 122
VMI – 129
So. Wesleyan – 149
Belmont Abbey – 209
Wofford – 237
Gardner-Webb – 264
21st – Kevin Shank – 18:37.1
22nd – Benjamin Hagerich – 18:38.0
28th – Patrick Lowry – 18:50.1
54th – Colin Crenshaw – 20:01.6
56th – Brian Tavenner – 20:04.9
57th – Luke Gaylor – 20:06.8
61st – Patrick Kiernan – 20:16.7
63rd – Jackson Geisendaffer – 20:22.7
77th – Michael Kelley – 20:51.4
78th – Sullivan McGreevy – 20:57.5
91st – Peter Fiorillo – 21:37.4
108th – James Gao – 23:57.4
For the complete men’s results, click here.
The Keydets came in seventh place to top Gardner-Webb, Belmont Abbey, and Southern Wesleyan. Nationally ranked No. 24 Furman took first place with 17 points, while South Carolina (54) and Charleston Southern (78) finished second and third, respectively. UNC–Asheville placed fourth overall ahead of Southern Conference schools Western Carolina (160) and Wofford (184).
Jillian Sisk ’27 led the way for VMI with a 28th-place time of 22:46, ahead of Reagan Gilman ’28 in 44th place in 23:45. Gretal Shank ’25 (50th, 24:02) and Nathalie Lavender ’26 (88th, 27:17) followed suit, while Olivia Hurd ’27 also scored team points as the fifth VMI runner to cross the line in 89th place in 27:17.
Natalia Dias ’28 arrived in 92nd place in 27:39, just ahead of Carolina Fiorillo ’25 (97th, 28:29) and Hayden Talbott ’27 (28:48). Alex Black ’28 also represented VMI in 103rd place overall in 30:30.
Reagan Gilman ’28 – Strong showing, close to her personal best, continuing to lead the women’s team.
Jillian Sisk ’27 – Consistent performance, contributing to the team’s overall effort.
Gretal Shank ’25 – Ran a solid race, maintaining her competitive edge.
Nathalie Lavender ’26 – Delivered a strong performance, helping to keep the team competitive.
Olivia Hurd ’27 – Showed great effort, running close to her personal best.
Natalia Dias ’28 – Continued to contribute to the team’s depth with a solid run.
Caroline Fiorillo ’25 – Ran well, demonstrating steady improvement.
Hayden Talbott ’27 – A solid performance, adding to the team’s overall effort.
Alex Black ’28 – Coming off a personal best at Richmond, ran a strong race close to that mark.
1. Furman – 17
2. S. Carolina – 54
3. Charleston So. – 78
4. UNC–Asheville – 147
5. W. Carolina – 160
6. Wofford – 184
7. VMI – 191
8. Gardner-Webb – 226
9. Belmont Abbey – 253
10. So. Wesleyan – 272
28th – Jillian Sisk – 22:46.5
44th – Reagan Gilman – 23:45.8
50th – Gretal Shank – 24:02.7
88th – Nathalie Lavender – 27:17.5
89th – Olivia Hurd – 27:17.5
92nd – Natalia Dias – 27:39.9
97th – Caroline Fiorillo – 28:29.8
99th – Hayden Talbott – 28:48.0
103rd – Alex Black – 30:30.1
For the complete women’s results, click here.
Editor’s Note: These articles were first published at vmikeydets.com.
