SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University men's cross country team put in a strong performance at the Golden Eagle Invitational by finishing second among three teams, held at Pollard's Field on Saturday morning (Oct. 5).
The Golden Eagles narrowly missed out on the team title, finishing second with a combined time of 2:16:05, just one point behind Rogers State.
Rogers State (Okla.) won the meet with 27 points, followed by John Brown with 28 points. Crowley's Ridge (Ark.) finished third with 85 points. Despite the narrow loss, John Brown posted the fastest combined time of 2:16:05, compared to Rogers State's 2:16:19. Junior Tyler Colvin of Rogers State set a course record, finishing first overall in 26:04.7. JBU's average time of 27:13 over the 8,000-meter course reflected a solid performance despite some fatigue.
Crowley's Ridge College, though a smaller squad, finished the race with a combined time of 3:43:03 and saw freshman Mark Eagleman lead their team with a 27th-place finish (37:21.3).
"The men put together strong performances, even with tired legs, as we're still training through these meets," noted head coach Peter Cunningham regarding the challenging conditions and ongoing training. "To be just one point away from winning our first-ever home meet is something to be proud of."
Junior Chase Schermer led the way for JBU, placing second overall with a time of 26:08.0—just four seconds off his personal record. Schermer kept close to Colvin throughout the race but ultimately couldn't close the gap in the final stretch. "Chase got out controlled and spent the second half of the race hunting down the RSU runner, but the gap was too much to close completely," Cunningham added. "We're proud of his fierce racing."
Sophomore Zach Briscoe finished next for JBU in fourth place, clocking in at 27:01.8, while freshman Samuel Burkett set a personal record, finishing sixth in 27:16.7. Senior Josiah Petak finished ninth in 27:43.6, and senior Andrew Janzen rounded out the scoring five for the Golden Eagles with an 11th-place finish in 27:55.2.
The Golden Eagles finished with a 1:48 scoring split.
This meet also marked a milestone for John Brown University as it was the first-ever intercollegiate cross-country race hosted on the campus. Cunningham acknowledged the significance of the event: "It was an exciting milestone to be part of, as we hosted a cross-country meet for the first time. There are countless people to thank for helping us pull off this event—Coach Ledbetter, Jon Claborn, Jorge Zamarron, and Elliot Pearson. I am immensely grateful."
"We'll be excited to continue growing and improving this meet, and we believe it will attract high-quality programs in the near future."
The Golden Eagles will now prepare for the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic in Ashland, Neb. on Oct. 26, where the team hopes to continue building on its performance.
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