Virginia Union University's men's and women's cross-country teams competed in the Bowie State Classic in Bowie, Md., on Wednesday, October 13.
 
The men's squad finished second behind host Bowie State University while the women's team placed fourth behind Lincoln (Pa.), Bowie State and Virginia State University.
 
VUU's women's team had 81 team points with Sarah Adams, a senior from Clifton, N.J., who is majoring in Criminal Justice, being the top Panther runner, finishing eighth overall with a time of 7:21.6 over the five-kilometer course.
 
Virginia Union's Micah Kipruto, a junior from Lessos, Kenya, and who is majoring in Chemistry, placed third  overall with a time of 5:17.1 over the eight-kilometer course.  As a team, VUU scored 33 team points, behind only Bowie State's 31 team points.
 
The Panthers also placed five runners in the top 10 finishers, with Akel Swinton placing fourth with a time of 5:17.5, Willie Hinton placing seventh with a time of 5:44.2, Korey Fennell placing ninth with a time of 5:56.2 and Enos Rotich placing 10th with a time of 5:59.1.
 
Virginia Union now prepares to compete in the CIAA Championship, to be held on October 28 in Salem, Va.