RICHARD BLAND CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS MAKE THEIR MARK IN SEASON OPENER

Ettrick, VA, September 6, 2013-The measuring stick for the Statesmen cross country teams just got a little bit longer, as both squads made impressive finishes at Virginia State University's Opener. "These women far exceeded my expectations for our first meet", said Coach Matt High. "They were very competitive and showed much heart, I am looking for these women to make a strong statement for the program", added High.

Richard Bland a full member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) competed against four NCAA teams which included the host team Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, Washington Adventist University and University of Virginia at Wise.

In the women's 5k run, Darshea'l Cook had a sixth place finish with a time of 22:21, while jacqueline Gilliam placed 12th logging in at 23:28 and Justina Gilliam tracked down a runner from Virginia Union University with a time of 25:01 to take 17th place out of 30 competitors.

The men's team was lead by Coy Robinson who finished 17th with a time of 32:21. The other men's competitor, Maxwell Chambers did not finish the race due to injury. "This was Coy's first ever 8k competition, he showed a true competitive spirit and ran well for his first time out", added High.

The cross country teams will next run at The College of William & Mary, Saturday, September 21 at 10:00 am. Be sure to come out and support the Statesmen.