Photos by Tom Connelly
EARLYSVILLE, Va. – Stanford coach Chris Miltenberg sought out the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational for its tough course and strong competition.
He got it, along with 82-degree temperatures and a good measure of humidity, and the Stanford men finished fifth in the 14-team field.
Garrett Sweatt led the Cardinal with a 10th –place finish, running 24:09.1 over the hilly 8-kilometer (4.97-mile) course at Panorama Farms.
"Our guys came in carrying a lot of training fatigue and hit a hard course, and the most hot and humid conditions I've ever seen for a cross country race," said Miltenberg, Stanford's Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field. "We wanted to practice putting in a hard fighting effort when things were not perfect, and we certainly got that today."
Stanford's roster was thinned to the minimum five for team scoring. Its' top two runners, All-Americans Sean McGorty and Grant Fisher were being rested, as was redshirt freshman Alex Ostberg. Two others did not finish.
Sam Wharton was Stanford's No. 2, in 17th (24:24.9). Will Lauer, a redshirt freshman, was Stanford's No. 3, finishing 23rd in 24:40.3.
Jack Keelan was in the lead pack early and was 16th at 5K, but dropped to 30th (25:00.1) over the final 3K. Patrick Perrier also struggled down the stretch, finishing 70th.
"We exposed some weaknesses that we need to work on and learn from," Miltenberg said. "It's crucial to do that now so we can build over the season. The results don't show it, but there are key signs that we're heading the right direction. Now, we just need to learn from this, look forward, and get back to work."
Syracuse junior Justyn Knight set a course record of 23:13.9 to win by nearly 16 seconds over Campbell's Lawrence Kipkoech. No. 1-ranked Syracuse, the defending NCAA champion, was upset by No. 12 BYU, 39-44. No. 11 Virginia was third with 92 points, followed by Campbell (125) and No. 4 Stanford (139).
"I think we got what we needed from today," Miltenberg said.
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Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational
At Panorama Farms
Complete results
Men
8K (4.97 miles)
Team scores – 1, BYU 39; 2, Syracuse 44; 3, Virginia 92; 4, Campbell 125; 5, Stanford 139; 6, William & Mary 156; 7, Charlotte 194; 8, Bucknell 218; 9, American 281; 10, Appalachian State 282; 11, Clemson 288; 12, Coastal Carolina 351; 13, Hofstra 399; 14, Loyola-Md. 416.
Invididuals – 1, Justyn Knight (Syracuse) 23:13.9; 2, Lawrence Kipkoech (Campbell) 23:29.7; 3, Amon Terer (Campbell) 23:43.6; 4, Nicolas Montanez (BYU) 23:53.9; 5, Clayton Young (BYU) 23:55.8; 10, Garrett Sweatt (Stanford) 24:09.1; 17, Sam Wharton (Stanford) 24:24.9; 23, Will Lauer (Stanford) 24:40.3; 30, Jack Keelan (Stanford) 25:00.2; 70, Patrick Perrier (Stanford) 26:24.3; DNF, Steven Fahy (Stanford); DNF, Blair Hurlock (Stanford).