Former Grundy High School cross country standout Alexsis Porter raced to a fourth-place finish, and Ella Rasnake of Council added a scoring performance as the two local runners helped the University of Virginia’s College at Wise women’s cross country team finish seventh Friday, Oct. 9, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Competing in the women’s 5-kilometer Blue race at McAlpine Greenway Park, the Cavaliers totaled 211 points to place seventh among 17 teams at the meet hosted by Queens University of Charlotte.
Porter, a senior, led UVa-Wise across the finish line in 18 minutes, 57.7 seconds. She placed fourth among 144 finishers, averaging 6:06.1 per mile, and was one of five runners to finish in under 19 minutes.
Her near-front finish gave the Cavaliers a strong start in team scoring.
Rasnake, a freshman, was UVa-Wise’s third runner across the line, finishing 60th overall in 20:54.1. She averaged 6:43.6 per mile and contributed 53 points toward the Cavaliers’ total.
Together, Porter and Rasnake accounted for two of the team’s five scoring performances, helping UVa-Wise finish ahead of Reinhardt, Emory & Henry and King.
Freshman Amelia Lewis was the Cavaliers’ second finisher, placing 28th in 19:53.4. Freshman Sadie Brewer followed Rasnake with a 66th-place finish in 21:05.8, while junior Shaylen Cannon rounded out the scoring lineup, finishing 80th in 21:39.4.
UVa-Wise’s five scoring runners combined for 1 hour, 42 minutes, 30 seconds, averaging 20:30.
Freshman Kiley Adair also competed for the Cavaliers, finishing 140th in 31:08.3.
Local sophomore runner Jayda Hilton was listed as a nonstarter. The results did not indicate why she did not compete.
Charleston, West Virginia, claimed the team championship with 37 points. Malone finished second with 89, edging third-place Campbell by one point.
Charleston freshman Joyleen Korir won the individual race in 18:05.9. Meredith’s Delaney Bundy finished second in 18:10.4, followed by Charleston’s Sara Odierna-Fernandez in 18:53.1 and Porter in fourth.
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
At McAlpine Greenway Park, Charlotte, N.C.
Oct. 9 — Women’s Blue race, 5 kilometers
Team scores: 1. Charleston (W.V.) 37; 2. Malone 89; 3. Campbell 90; 4. Augusta 121; 5. Washington and Lee 126; 6. Pfeiffer 200; 7. UVa-Wise 211; 8. Reinhardt 258; 9. Emory & Henry 266; 10. Meredith 276; 11. Clayton State 301; 12. King 335; 13. Lander 363; 14. Coker 385; 15. Belmont Abbey 406; 16. Erskine 411; 17. Johnson & Wales (N.C.) 431.
UVa-Wise results — overall place, runner, time: 4. Alexsis Porter, 18:57.7; 28. Amelia Lewis, 19:53.4; 60. Ella Rasnake, 20:54.1; 66. Sadie Brewer, 21:05.8; 80. Shaylen Cannon, 21:39.4; 140. Kiley Adair, 31:08.3.
Did not start: Jayda Hilton, Jayden Sisk, Kaylen Fields.
