WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The relay team of junior Patrick Crawford and redshirt-freshman Jeff LaCoste won the Demon Deacon Quad meet to lead the High Point University men’s cross country team to the team win in its season opener. Sophomore Reece Ayers and freshman Paddy Grandinali teamed up to place second overall.
“It was a positive overall performance today,” said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. “The way the meet was designed — with the guys running three 2,500-meter legs each — was like a workout. So we got what we wanted out of it. Patrick ran the way he should have today. I think we’ll see a very good year from Jeff LaCoste, that race was encouraging. I also liked the way Paddy Grandinali raced with grit.”
High Point’s relays combined to score a low of eight points followed by Wake Forest (14), Elon (25) and UNC Greensboro (31).
Crawford and LaCoste combined to run their 15,000 meters in a winning time of 47:59. The Panthers’ tandem of Ayers and Grandinali placed second overall in 48:28.
HPU freshmen Kevin Maguire and Ben Robinson ran a composite time of 49:10, just edging out the duo of senior Dakota Peachee and freshman Cody Seymour. Next up, junior John Yankello and sophomore Chris Colo finished in 51:00 and freshmen Kevin Kreider and Zach Hostetler rounded it out in 51:15.
The Panthers will be off for two weeks before competing in the Big South Preview on Sept. 15 at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. It’s the same course the Big South Championship will be run on Oct. 27.