JOPLIN, Mo. -- The John Brown University men's cross country team placed 18th out of 26 teams at Saturday morning's (Sept. 20) Stampede, hosted by Missouri Southern State at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course.
The Blue and Gold posted 497 points in the 268-runner field.
Freshman Ian Sustaita Garcia led the Golden Eagles with a 97th-place finish, running 26:42.25 over the 8,000-meter course. Sophomore Gabriel Pelkey hit the tape in 108th place with a time of 26:56.45, while junior Josh Freeman posted 26:57.70 for 110th place.
JBU's scoring was rounded out by freshman Daniel Ogomo who crossed the line in 135th place (27:29.70) and junior Henry Zedler who clocked 27:36.92 for 139th place.
John Brown's top five runners posted times within a 54-second spread.
"For half of the men's squad, Saturday marked their first 8-kilometer race, an adjustment to the longer distance," head coach Peter Cunningham admitted. "The highlight was Gabe, who broke 27 minutes for the first time, finishing nearly four minutes faster than his debut last year."
Rounding out the Golden Eagles' top seven were freshman Jeremiah Briscoe who placed 146th at 27:50.98 and freshman Landry Finch who finished 181st in 28:36.71.
Hutchinson CC (Kan.) claimed the team title with 49 points. Pittsburg State (Kan.) finished second with 60 points, while host Missouri Southern State took third place with 99 points.
The Golden Eagles return to the course on Saturday (Oct. 4) to participate in the Chile Pepper Festival, scheduled for 10:25 a.m. at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Ark.
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