Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #19 Virginia Women

Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #19 Virginia Women

Aug 29, 2015 by Gordon Mack
Saucony Flo50 XC Countdown: #19 Virginia Women




Probable Top Five:

SR Iona Lake (4:21 1500; 10:01 3K Steeple; 16:15 5K; 102nd NCAA XC ’14)
SR Sarah Astin (9:29 3K; 16:27 5K; 3rd English National XC ’15, 3rd; Euro U-23 5K ’14)
JR Sarah Fakler (16:18 5K; 34:15 10K)
SO Maria Hauger (16:14 5K; 34:16 10K; 63rd NCAA XC ’13)
JR Cleo Boyd (16:29 5K)
 

Impact Freshmen/Transfers:

Carly Hamilton via University of Georgia (4:12 1500; 4:35 Mile; 16:26 5K; 2x NCAA All-American)
Sarah Astin via Great Britain (9:29 3K; 16:27 5K; 3rd English National XC ’15, 3rd; Euro U-23 5K ’14)
Bonnie Angermeier via Blacksburg, VA (10:33 3200; 37th NXN ’14)
Emily Mulhern via Ijamville, MD (10:45 2 Mile)
 

Analysis:

In 2014, Virginia had a very strong top three in the Southeast Region, with Iona Lake, Morgan Kelly and Sarah Fakler finishing 3-4-11. 20 positions separated their third and fourth runners and the Cavaliers finishing second in a region that sent five teams to the Big Dance. Two of those top five ladies, All American Morgan Kelly and Kathleen Stevens, have graduated and Virginia will need to step up big time if they want to make it out of the deep Southeast.
 
Iona Lake’s 2015 season was very good. She won an ACC title in the steeplechase and ran 16:15 for 5K at the very cold and uncomfortable Penn Relays. She’s the confident leader Virginia needs, but she’ll need to improve greatly on her 102nd finish at the NCAA XC Championships.
 
Junior Sarah Fakler has been consistent at Virginia, earning All ACC and All Southeast honors in her first two seasons. Junior Cleo Boyd must step up big time to fill the holes lost to graduation. Boyd was 18th in the Southeast Region two years ago, but could’t crack 21:00 over 6K last fall. Perhaps newcomers Sarah Astin and Carly Hamilton will be just what Virginia needed. Astin comes from the UK with very good cross country credentials, including a third-place showing at the English National Champs (an 8K race, no less). Former Georgia Bulldog Hamilton is more of a miler and is coming off injury, but could be a solid 5-6 runner for Virginia.