TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Back on the course, the Vanderbilt men’s cross country team got in some winter racing the FSU Winter Classic on Friday morning at the Apalachee Regional Park.
To open the meet, juniors Matthew Estopinal and Nick Laning were first on the course for the Commodores. In a field consisting of many of the top teams in the nation, Estopinal finished the 8k race in 24:20.5 to place 40th overall, while Laning was 69th at 24:47.4.
The remaining Commodores, as a team, finished eighth in the Gold Race. Senior Caleb Van Geffen was the top finisher for Vandy with a time of 26:39.0, followed by junior Jonah Bird, who was just five spots behind in 51st place with a finish of 26:54.7. Freshman Mathew Ragsdale finished 71st in 28:05.2, while junior Lucas Mowery was 74th (28:27.7) and senior Edward Harpstead was 75th (28:30.5).
Friday marked Vanderbilt’s first meet since the SEC Championships on Oct. 30 when the Dores were led by Estopinal’s 21st-place finish and accumulated 248 points. Since 1980, that total was only bettered by last season’s 239 points.
