Thronson Leads Lady Vols To Second-Straight Victory At Cavalier Classic

Saturday, September 14

Charlottesville, VA

9:00 AM

University of Tennessee

Cavalier Classic

Thronson Leads Lady Vols To Second-Straight Victory At Cavalier Classic

September 14, 2019 | Track & Field

Cavalier Classic Results

EARLYSVILLE, Va. -- The Lady Vols earned their second victory of the season as Tennessee cross country competed at the University of Virginia's Cavalier Classic Saturday morning. Sophomore Katie Thronson paced the Big Orange with her first collegiate individual win, clocking a meet record time of 17:01.7 over the five-kilometer course.

"Very pleased with the day here in Charlottesville," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said after the meet. "The Lady Vols have shown some great stuff this season. They raced for the win today and earned a great victory."

WOMEN'S RACE RECAP: Tennessee scored 36 points for the win, with four Lady Vols finishing inside the top-10 at Panorama Farms. North Carolina placed second with 42 points, followed by Virginia (72), Maryland (75) and Norfolk State (135).

"UNC is a strong team with a lot of talent on their roster, but our women are strong and I loved their competitive spirit all race," Alford-Sullivan added.

Thronson tabbed a first-place finish and was followed closely by Sydney Seymour (17:21.5) and Megan Murray (17:24.6) who placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Murray's time was a personal record by nearly eight seconds.

UT rookie Alyssa Wolf continued her impactful freshman season with a ninth-place outing, finishing her first college 5K in 17:44.8. Abigail Smith completed the Lady Vol top-five placing 17^th overall with a personal-best time of 18:10.1.

Kathleen Maley made her in-uniform debut for Tennessee with a mark of 18:24.7 to place 23^rd individually. Other finishers for the Lady Vols included Alaina Riordan (19:15.6), Nicole Adams (18:36.6), Ainsley Cooper (19:15.6) and Sarah McCabe (19:40.8).

MEN'S RACE RECAP: Tennessee fielded a team of five on the men's side and placed fourth at the meet with 131 points. In his second cross country race as a Tennessee Vol, Brayden Hamblen led the Big Orange with a 25:29.5 clocking over the eight-kilometer course.

Senior Adam Johnston was UT's second runner across the finish line with a time of 26:04.9. Devin Sullivan, Gashaw Duhamel and Nick Boogades each finished within 11 seconds of each other to complete the Tennessee top-five.

"We ran only five men who all need racing experience," Alford-Sullivan said. "Virginia, UNC and Duke ran full squads and had a very competitive up-front race. Our varsity men are training hard through the month of September and will be really ready to race in October and November. Distance racing is at times a game of patience and right now I am focused on their training versus racing."

UP NEXT: The Tennessee cross country program will take three weeks off from competition before sending a full squad to Louisiville, Ky. for the Greater Louisville Classic. The meet is set for Saturday, Oct. 5 at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.

"It was great to be at Virginia on [UVA head coach] Vin Lananna's first weekend on the job," Alford-Sullivan said. "He will really put Virginia on the map in the next few years. [UVA assistant] coach Jason Dunn did an outstanding job creating a great course at the Panorama Farms and it was fun to be a part of a good cross country meet. We will continue to train hard through the rest of the month and be back in action early October."

A breakdown of Tennessee's results from the Cavalier Classic can be viewed below. For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee cross country and track & field, follow @Vol_Track on Twitter.

Men's 8K
1. Virginia - 29 pts.
2. Duke - 37 pts.
3. North Carolina - 64 pts.
4. Tennessee - 131 pts.
5. Norfolk State - 132 pts.
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30. Brayden Hamblen - 25:29.5
41. Adam Johnston - 26:04.9
44. Devin Sullivan - 26:29.6
45. Gashaw Duhamel - 26:37.0
46. Nick Boogades - 26:41.8

Women's 5K
1. Tennessee - 36 pts.
2. North Carolina - 42 pts.
3. Virginia - 72 pts.
4. Maryland - 75 pts.
5. Norfolk State - 135 pts.
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1. Katie Thronson - 17:01.7
4. Sydney Seymour - 17:21.5
5. Megan Murray - 17:24.6
9. Alyssa Wolf - 17:44.8
17. Abigail Smith - 18:10.1
23. Kathleen Maley - 18:24.7
25. Alaina Riordan - 18:27.7
28. Nicole Adams - 18:36.6
33. Ainsley Cooper - 19:15.6
37. Sarah McCabe - 19:40.8