WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Hampton University men’s and women’s cross country teams will head up Interstate 64 on Saturday to compete in the William & Mary Inter-Regional Cross Country Challenge, which will be held at the Eastern State Hospital.
The men’s 8K race will begin at 10 a.m., with the women’s 6K race following at 10:40 a.m.
The Lady Pirates finished sixth in the 2008 Inter-Regional with 217 points. Krystle Medlin led the team with a 24:40.70 to finish 42nd.
Jasmin Branch (Hampton, Va.) is the leading returner for Hampton, thanks to her 25:09.20 in last year’s event, which placed her 49th.
Kenya Jones (Chesapeake, Va.) ran a 26:12.00 in the 2008 meet to finish 67th, while
Janean Morris (Brooklyn, N.Y.) came in 79th with a time of 27:41.80.
The Pirates finished eighth in last year’s Inter-Regional with 230 points, with Daniel Edmund leading the team with a 27:38.00 to finish 57th.
Bryan Brown (Upper Marlboro, Md.) was the highest-finishing athlete to return to the event this year; last year, he finished 103rd after running a 32:31.50.
Michigan State won the women’s team title last year, while host William & Mary took the men’s team crown. Hampton will be joined by host William & Mary, Toledo, the U.S. Naval Academy, Longwood and Christopher Newport in this year’s meet, while the Pirates will run against William & Mary, Tennessee, Norfolk State, American, Christopher Newport and the University of D.C.
The Lady Pirates finished fourth in the UMES Cappy Anderson Invitational this past weekend, with Branch leading the team with a 19:35.90 to finish 25th.
Jahlisa Smith (Plainfield, N.J.) ran a 19:58.45 to finish 27th, while Jones came in 32nd with a time of 20:16.06. Freshman
Tyreka Arrington (Lanham, Md.) finished 38th with a 20:59.55, and Morris ran a 21:17.90 to finish 39th.
Leah Richmond (Long Beach, Calif.) came in 60th with a time of 23:46.21 on the 5K course.
The Pirates came in fourth in last week’s Cappy Anderson meet, with
David Kimani (Kenya) turning in the team’s best time – a 27:25.32 to finish 53rd. Freshman
Mike Davenport (Pleasantville, N.J.) came in 54th with a 27:25.42, while
Berian White (Newark, Del.) ran a 27:27.08 to finish 55th.
Xavier Fraction (Sewell, N.J.) ran a 28:18.02 on the 8K course to finish 70th, while
Bradley Brown (Upper Marlboro, Md.) came in 80th with a 29:14.20.
Bryan Brown ran a 32:20.97 to finish 94th.
The Pirates and Lady Pirates will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 3, when they travel to Cary, N.C. for the inaugural HBCU Cross Country Classic. For more information on Hampton University cross country, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at
www.hamptonpirates.com.