LOGAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. – The No. 23-ranked Washington and Lee University men's cross country team took second place after winning the tie-break (3-2) over No. 6 Johns Hopkins at the Rowan Inter-regional Border Battle, held at Gloucester County DREAM Park on Saturday morning.

In the Championship 8k, the Generals and Blue Jays both scored 56 points, finishing behind No. 16 Lynchburg, which claimed the team title with 49 points.

The Blue and White placed three runners in the top 10, led by sophomore Robert Cooper, who secured fourth place overall with a time of 24:37.8 in the 8k race. Senior Row Sterne and juniorKeaton Rush followed closely behind, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Their performance strengthened W&L's overall standing against the highly competitive field.

Cooper's time ranks as the third-fastest 8k performance in program history.

SCORING SEVEN (Championship Race)

• 4th – Robert Cooper: 24:37.8
• 7th – Row Sterne: 24:41.1
• 8th – Keaton Rush: 24:42.5
• 11th – William Dunaway: 24:53.3
• 27th – Jackson Kodenski: 25:25.5
• 31st – Thomas Franklin: 25:34.4
• 53rd – Sam Daunt: 25:52.1

COMPLETE W&L RESULTS

• 56th – Raja Mehendale: 25:54.7
• 70th – Will DeLoach: 26:15.6
• 85th – Wyatt Benjamin: 26:30.8
   

OPEN 8K RESULTS

In addition to their strong showing in the championship race, the Generals also took second place in the Open 8k event, scoring 60 points behind the trophy-winners, Johsn Hopkins (44 points).

SCORING SIX

• 3rd – Colin Verrett: 25:54.1 (First collegiate finisher)
• 6th – Henry Haden: 26:07.3
• 8th – William Fitch: 26:18.4
• 23rd – Mitchell DiMond: 26:51.5
• 39th – Thomas Kallen: 27:40.9
• 109th – Jaden Brighter: 30:12.4

BY THE NUMBERS

• Keaton Rush's Surge: Rush began the race in 22nd place after the first mile but surged forward, picking off 13 runners by the 3-mile mark to secure an impressive 8th place overall finish in 24:42.5.
• William Dunaway's Comeback: Dunaway, starting the race in 28th place at the 1-mile mark, overtook 17 competitors over the course of the race, just missing a top-10 finish with an 11th place result and a time of 24:53.3.
• The Generals' victory over No. 6 Johns Hopkins marks the highest-ranked team ever defeated in program history. Prior to today, W&L had never beaten a team ranked higher than No. 16 in the USTFCCCA poll. The Generals previously defeated No. 16 Haverford during the 2023 regular season and No. 16 Geneseo at the 2023 NCAA DIII Championships.
• Individual Champion: Johns Hopkins' Emmanuel Leblond claimed the individual title in the Championship Race, crossing the line in 23:52.9. The race featured 277 runners in total.
• Open Race Highlights: Anas Bensaoud (unattached) won the Open Race individual title in 25:42.3. Colin Verrett was the first collegiate runner to cross the finish line, placing third overall with a time of 25:54.1. Johns Hopkins claimed the team title with 44 points.

UP NEXT

The Generals will return to competition on November at the ODAC Championships in Salem, Va.
 

Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.