Cross Country Set For Panorama Farms Invite
September 25, 2015 | Cross Country
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A week after competing at the Commodore Classic, the Mississippi State men's and women's cross country teams return to action Saturday to compete in the Panorama Farms Invite in Charlottesville, Va.
Competition at Panorama Farms begins with the men's 8K at 9 a.m. CDT. The women's 5K follows with a 9:45 a.m. start.
“This is the biggest meet of the season so far,” MSU coach Houston Franks said. “There are a lot of strong teams coming to this meet, and it will be a great opportunity for our teams to show what we can do.”
While both squads will be running against some of the top teams in the country, last weekend's strong showing in Nashville put the MSU women among those elite squads as they received votes in this week's U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Nationals Poll.
The Bulldog women finished third with 95 points, while the men placed 10th with 243.
Marta Freitas had a strong debut at the Commodore Classic, finishing second overall with a time of 17:02.20 that is the fastest in the SEC this season. That performance garnered her SEC Runner of the Week honors from the league.
Rhianwedd Price, who earned All-America honors in cross country a year ago, will see her first action of the season. Saturday's meet will also see the Bulldog debut of her twin sister, Ffion Price.
Senior Cornelia Griesche, junior Lisa Ziegler, sophomore Mia Meydrich, freshman Shannon Fair and freshman Kristy Terp round out MSU's competitors on the women's side.
The women's team will have a fierce match up with host Virginia, who is currently ranked No. 16.
Eight members of the MSU men's squad will be traveling to Virginia, including senior Mathew Dunn who paced the Bulldogs at the Commodore Classic in a personal-best time of 25:36.40.
Freshman Emilio Perco is set to compete in his second meet in the Maroon and White after running a time of 25:48.50 in his collegiate debut at the Commodore Classic.
Seniors Andrew Monaghan and Patrick Monaghan will also be showcasing their talents on the course, along with senior Curtis Kelly, sophomore Branden Nosker, and freshmen JT Mackay and Pierce Rose.
The men's field also includes ranked foes in No. 9 Virginia, No. 18 Furman and No. 20 Eastern Kentucky.
SEC foe Auburn will also be running in both meets.
Additional information on the Panorama Farms Invite can be found at Virginiasports.com. For more information on the MSU cross country teams, visit HailState.com and follow on Twitter (@HailStateTF).
Players Mentioned
