BLACKSBURG, Va.— The Montreat College men's and women's track & field teams returned to competition Friday evening at the Hokie Invitational, hosted by Virginia Tech. Despite traveling with just two athletes, the Cavaliers turned in a pair of strong performances against NCAA Division I competition, highlighted by a top-three finish and a top-five showing.

On the women's side, Heather Murphy represented Montreat in the 3000m event and delivered a standout performance, finishing third overall among a 22-runner field with a time of 9:46.40. Murphy was bested only by a pair of DI competitors from Radford and Virginia Tech. The Portarlington, Ireland, native met the NAIA 'A' standard for the second time this season and recorded the fourth-fastest time in the nation this year. Murphy also currently owns this season's third-fastest 3000m mark nationally.

Coming off a stellar mile effort last week, Ryan Stade continued his momentum on Friday in the 3000m, recording a new personal best of 8:22.89. The time trimmed 4.81 seconds off his previous mark and secured a fourth-place finish in a 14-runner field. Only three Virginia Tech student-athletes finished ahead of him. The performance met the NAIA 'B' standard, earning Stade a qualification to the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Gainesville, Fla. The mark currently ranks fifth nationally in the 3000m this season.

For a look at results from the Hokie Invitational, click here. 

The Cavaliers will return to action in one week, traveling back to Tryon International in Mill Spring, N.C., for the third of four trips this season. Next Friday, they compete at the East Coast Elite Invitational.