BLACKSBURG, Va. – Junior Sam Daunt placed third overall to lead the 12th-ranked Washington and Lee University men's cross country team to a runner-up finish in the 6-kilometer race at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday.

THE BASICS

• Team Finish: 2nd of 6 teams
• Team Score: 53 points
• Location: Blacksburg, Va.
• Distance: 6K

HOW IT HAPPENED

Daunt led the Generals across the line in their season opener, completing the 6K course in 18:21.9 to finish third overall and record W&L's top individual performance.

Graduate student Matt Kelly followed just 9.5 seconds behind Daunt in his W&L debut, taking seventh overall with a time of 18:31.4. Senior Robert Cooper gave the Generals three runners inside the top 10 as he crossed the line in 18:50.4 to place 10th.

Senior Thomas Franklin was the fourth W&L runner to finish, clocking a 19:09.3 to take 17th overall. Junior Teddy Meredith completed the Generals' scoring five with a 25th-place finish in 19:25.0.

First-years Andrew Wasserman and Jake Miranda occupied W&L's sixth and seventh positions, finishing back-to-back in 28th and 29th. Wasserman crossed in 19:36.4 before Miranda followed in 19:37.6.

W&L totaled 53 points to finish second in the six-team field, trailing only Division I Virginia Tech's 19 points. The Generals finished 13 points ahead of ODAC rival Lynchburg, which took third with 66 points, while W&L placed nine runners among the top 33 overall.

Up next, members of the men's squad will travel to the home of the 2026 ODAC Championships and compete at the Shenandoah Twilight on September 11 at 6:30 p.m.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 2nd – W&L's team finish in the six-team field.
• 53 – Team points scored by the Generals.
• 3rd – Daunt's overall finish to lead W&L.
• 3 – Generals finishing among the top 10 overall.
• 4 – W&L runners among the top 17 finishers.
• 9 – Generals finishing among the top 33.
• 13 points – W&L's margin over third-place Lynchburg.

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Virginia Tech – 19
2. Washington and Lee – 53
3. Lynchburg – 66
4. Concord – 85
5. UVA Wise – 128
6. Ferrum – 168

W&L INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Place	Runner	Time
3	Sam Daunt	18:21.9
7	Matt Kelly	18:31.4
10	Robert Cooper	18:50.4
17	Thomas Franklin	19:09.3
25	Teddy Meredith	19:25.0
28	Andrew Wasserman	19:36.4
29	Jake Miranda	19:37.6
31	Wyatt Benjamin	19:44.5
33	Hall Wildman	19:47.5
64	Kaden Rife	21:18.6

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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.