Christopher and McVicker breeze through 5 miler

Christopher and McVicker breeze through 5 miler
By Nicole Lemal (run.nicole.wvu@gmail.com)
Tristaterunnur.com

Results Race Photos

MORGANTOWN - Friday evening was just another tempo run for local stand out distance runners Kaylyn Christopher and Dayton McVicker. From the very beginning of the Jim Dunn Memorial Scholarship Twilight 5-miler, they set the pace for the males and females in flawless fashion and never looked back. McVicker clocked a 27:11.36 effort and Christopher ran away with a 30:47.26.

McVicker, who will be advancing his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma, decided at the last minute to jump into the race along with second place overall male finisher Travis Cyphert (27:44.37). Pittsburgh native Brent Lopick snatched third in 28:06.91.

This was only McVicker’s second week of running consistently.

“I am starting to put my base in now, so it’s really early in my training,” he explained.

“I just wanted to run hard enough to win, so running the first mile I opened up a pretty nice gap and then I just stayed comfortable the whole way and made sure I kept my lead,” he said. “But it wasn’t a race effort or anything.”

At a comfortable pace he not only got his workout in as part of his current 60 miles per week training program, but he also had fun.

“Every year it’s steaming hot here, so this is the coolest it’s been,” he said. “It’s a lot more comfortable than I thought it was going to be because usually it’s blazing out here.
It was a big field. It was fun.”

Christopher had the same objectives in mind, as she outran former WVU team mate Mandy McBean (31:13.72). Heather McDaniel closed out the top three in 31:54.71.

“Everybody seems to really come out and like this race,” Christopher said. “It’s a pretty flat, fast course and a good meal afterwards.”

After a month of running consistently, she wanted to add some spice to her training regime.

“Pretty much for the summer I just come out and do races for fun just to get a nice, hard effort in, mix up my easy training runs, so I don’t really set any kind of expectations on myself,” Christopher said. “I just go out and run hard.”

And it was effortless.

“I felt good. I felt good enough that I still had a little bit of a sprint at the end.”

With her last season of eligibility underway at WVU, she is looking months down the road. This summer is by far the most important to her in attaining an individual All-American honor in cross country and track, but it’s not all about her. While she tackles individual goals, she wants to lead her team to a top four finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I’m especially pumped up for cross country. I think we’re going to have a pretty good team. Everybody’s working hard this summer, so I think it’s going to be a fun year and it will be the one to kind of lay it all on the line.”

Held in Morgantown, W.Va. the five mile race honors the memory of former WVU track and field runner Jim Dunn, who suddenly died in May 2007. In his memory his wife Darlene started the Jim Dunn Memorial Scholarship. This $500 scholarship is awarded to a West Virginia high school senior athlete, who has been accepted to run on the collegiate level.

The 2011 Scholarship Recipients – Cody Pelliccioni, Brandon Doughty, Shannon Rutherford, and Sarah McCauley – were honored before the start of the race. These decorated athletes have led the way over the span of their high school careers and are looking forward to continuing their careers at the next level.

Pelliccioni will be continuing his career at North Carolina State University and Doughty will be joining McVicker at the University of Oklahoma.

Rutherford will be joining the Eastern Kentucky University track and field program, and McCauley will continue her running in her home state at West Virginia University.