George Mason University Athletics

Regional Test Awaits Patriots at VertCross Invitational on Friday

George Mason Athletics Men's Cross Country 10/13/2016 12:40:00 PM

FAIRFAX, Va. – With the cross country season reaching its halfway point, the George Mason men's and women's teams will face a test that should prepare them for the postseason.

The Patriots head to the VertCross Invitational on Friday hosted by High Point in Kernersville, N.C. The men will compete on an 8K course at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, with the women running a 6K race at 5:15 p.m.

The meet will feature 25 schools, including 16 that will compete alongside the Patriots in the NCAA Division I Southeast Region Championships on Nov. 11 in Charlottesville, Va. Atlantic 10 foes Davidson and Richmond will also be in the field as the Patriots can use the meet as a measuring stick heading into the Atlantic 10 Championship on Oct. 29.

“This a very good, mid-level, regional field,” George Mason head coach Andrew Gerard said. “A lot of the teams here are going to be teams in and around us at the regional level. It will be a good sounding board for where we are regionally.”

The Mason men's team enters the meet ranked 13th in the latest Southeast Region poll. The Patriots we'll run against a plethora of teams that are also regionally ranked – North Carolina State (No. 4), Campbell (No. 5), Davidson (No. 10) and Appalachian State (No. 14).

The men captured the team crown at this meet last year with 68 points. This season, the Patriots have won their last two meets, finishing first at the Mason Invitational two weeks ago and claiming the team title at the JMU Invitational last month.

“For the men, (the goal is) to compete,” Gerard said. “We want to get up toward the front and certainly compete at the front of this field. It is our goal to beat a lot of these teams come regional time or A-10 time.”

On the women's side, the Patriots will see defending A-10 champ Richmond, along with Southeast Regional powers North Carolina State (No. 1), Coastal Carolina (No. 7), Elon (No. 10) and Duke (No. 14).

Their last time out, the women finished second at the Mason Invitational, with sophomore Ciara Donohue finished first in the 6K race with a time of 22:01.5. Junior Amber Hawkins took fifth in 22:34.1.

“We just want to continue to refine what we have been doing,” Gerard said. “Ciara and Amber have looked really good. A couple of the other ladies have seemed to turn a little bit of a corner and have looked a little fresher and better these last couple of weeks. It is that time of the season where they should be freshening up a little bit. So hopefully we can close those gaps down a little bit and do a good job there to have a tighter team spread. That will help our score overall.”

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Players Mentioned

Ciara Donohue: XC/Distance; 5' 5"; Freshman

Amber Hawkins: XC/Distance; 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Ciara Donohue
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: XC/Distance

Amber Hawkins
: 5' 7"; Junior
: XC/Distance