FARIFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's and women's cross country teams took the course on Saturday morning, running in the Virginia Invitational at Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Va.  Hosted by the University of Virginia, the men's race consisted of an 8k while the women competed in a 5k.

Saturday's race consisted of a field of competitive teams, including 11 that were regionally ranked coming into competition. Mason's men earned an 11^th place team finish with 294 points and the women tallied 361 points, finishing in 14^th. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill claimed victory in the men's race, with four runners finishing in the top 15. The University of Virginia earned the team victory in the women's race.

Redshirt senior John Holt was the first male to cross the line for Mason, placing 41^st overall out of 102 runners in a time of 24:42.1. Michael Conway would join him nearly five seconds later with a finishing time of 24:46.9, good for 45^th overall. Other top finishers for Mason included Craig Morgan (25:27.1), Sean Nestor (25:34.8) and Josh Schlickenmeyer in a time of 25:50.3. Coach Andrew Gerard was pleased with the results.

"It was a solid start today,” said Gerard. “That was basically our regional course and team preview. It gave us a very clear picture of what we need to do in the next seven weeks if we are to move up when the regional rolls around. We still have a couple of guys to insert into the lineup and a lot of work still to get to, but overall I'm pleased with the start."

Junior Bethany Sachtleben was the top finisher for Mason in the women's event in her first race of the season. Sachtleben finished 27^th overall in a field of 117 competitors, completing the 5k in a time of 17:48.4. Jennifer Nakamura was once again a top finisher for the Patriots as she crossed the line in a time of 19:07.8. Junior Lauren Givens was not far behind, finishing in 19:20.4.

The Patriots prepare to host the annual Mason Invitational next weekend on Saturday, October 5. The women's 6k is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. followed by an 8k for the men at 10:45.