ASHLAND, Neb. -- Junior Sam Burkett finished 10th overall Saturday (Oct. 24), leading the John Brown University men's cross country team to a 14th-place finish among 27 teams at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.
Burkett crossed in 25:21, improving two places from his 12th-place finish at the same meet in 2025. His 25:07 performance a year ago remains the fourth-fastest 8K in program history.
John Brown scored 308 points and finished with a team time of 2:12:38, the 10th-fastest 8K team performance in program history. Southern Oregon won the race with 73 points and a team time of 2:06:15.
Senior Zach Briscoe followed Burkett in 67th at 26:25. Freshman Derek Nájera finished 82nd in 26:42, sophomore Ethan Elder crossed 86th in 26:47 and freshman Andrew Dawson rounded out the scoring five in 125th at 27:22.
Outside the scoring five, freshman Josh Schulte posted the Golden Eagles' lone collegiate best of the race, finishing 204th in 28:08. The performance lowered his previous 8K best of 28:13 by five seconds.
"It was a tough day for the men, but that's part of the sport," director of track and field and cross country Peter Cunningham said. "One 25-minute race doesn't define the quality of their season or the work they've put in. We're still proud of them, and they still have something to race for if they continue believing in one another and leaning on each other.
"Sam also ran a really smart race and competed against the field extremely well. He may not have been as fast as he was last year, but he finished two places better, and we're really excited about that."
The Blue and Gold return home Saturday (Nov. 7) for the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships at Pollard's Field in Siloam Springs.
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