High Point University freshman Patrick Crawford has been named Big South Cross Country Runner of the Week after placing second in his first collegiate race, the Covered Bridge Open at Appalachian State last Friday. Crawford led HPU to a runner-up finish.

"Placing second was a heck of a way for Patrick to open his collegiate career," said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. "He beat a lot of good runners in this race and I thought he ran with a lot of poise for a freshman. He looked like he belonged there. Patrick had a great summer of training and it showed on Friday."

Crawford went out with the leaders and ran in the top five for the entire 6,400-meter race. Over the last mile, Crawford moved up from fourth to second, finishing in 19:42.66. North Carolina's Evan Watchempino also moved up over the last mile, pulling away for a four-second victory.

A native of nearby Kernersville, N.C., Crawford was North Carolina high school cross country champion as a senior at Kernersville High School last fall. In outdoor track, he won both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter at the NCHSAA 4A Midwest Regional before placing third in both events at the state championship.

The Panthers placed second as a team in the Covered Bridge Open. Junior Neal Darmody was close behind Crawford, placing fourth. Senior Jevin Monds placed ninth, sophomore Jacob Smith took 23rd and freshman John Yankello placed 39th to complete HPU's scoring.

The Panthers are off until Sept. 25 when they compete in the Big South Preview hosted by Radford University in Radford, Va.