SALEM, Va. — The Berry men's cross-country team earned an eighth-place finish among a competitive field of nationally ranked programs and Southern Athletic Association (SAA) rivals at the South Region Showdown in Salem, Virginia, on Saturday morning. Freshman Keenan Smith led the Vikings with an impressive 11th-place performance, clocking 25:20.4 in the 8K.
Berry captured a team score of 137, tying with Roanoke College. The white-singlet-wearing Vikings finished ahead of nationally ranked foe Lynchburg College by 61 points. SAA opponent Oglethorpe University couldn't keep up with the fast feet of the Vikings, placing 10th with a team score of 277.
Todd Harris was the second Viking to turn in his timing chip, placing 20th with a time of 25:36.6. Harris overtook his Piedmont opponent in the final kilometer to aid his team's low score.
Captain Troy Blackwood surprised the field of 239 when he overtook six runners throughout the race to secure 50th (26:49.5). A true competitor, Blackwood embodied the qualities that Head Coach Paul Deaton looks for in a captain, a leader who refuses to give up.
Owen Gagnon placed 55th with a time of 26:53.5, and McKinley Chappell rounded out the scoring for the Vikings, taking 59th in 26:57.5.
The Vikings have two more weeks of preparation before traveling to Texas for the SAA Championships on Nov. 1.