SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Junior Sam Burkett finished fourth overall to lead three John Brown University men's cross country runners to All-Sooner Athletic Conference honors, helping the Golden Eagles place third at the SAC Championships at Pollard's Field Saturday morning (Nov. 7).
Burkett crossed in 24:49, matching the second-fastest 8K in program history and establishing the fastest JBU performance ever at the SAC Championships. His effort surpassed the previous Golden Eagle championship-meet standard of 25:11 set by Chase Schermer in 2024.
The finish also secured Burkett's third consecutive All-SAC honor, joining Schermer, Josh Uzelac and Ben Martin as the only JBU men's runners to earn at least three all-conference selections since the program returned in 2010. Schermer remains the program's only four-time All-SAC honoree during that span.
Oklahoma City captured its 10th consecutive SAC men's title with 35 points, edging Mid-America Christian by two points. The Stars posted a team time of 2:04:54 to lead the nine-team field.
Freshman Derek Nájera joined Burkett among the league's top 15, finishing 12th in a collegiate-best 25:14. Senior Zach Briscoe followed two places later in 14th with another collegiate best of 25:32, giving John Brown three All-SAC honorees.
The conference recognized the top 15 finishers with All-SAC honors.
Sophomore Ethan Elder finished 24th in 26:21, while senior Henry Zedler rounded out the scoring five one place later in a collegiate-best 26:25. Those five combined for 75 points and a team time of 2:08:24, the second-fastest 8K team performance in program history and the fastest ever by the Blue and Gold at the conference championships.
Three additional Golden Eagles established collegiate 8K bests outside the scoring five. Junior Pedro Ignacio Morales finished 35th in 27:00, sophomore Jeremiah Briscoe took 39th in 27:17 and freshman Yeseong An crossed 57th in 28:36.
In all, seven John Brown runners recorded collegiate bests Saturday.
Qualifiers for the 2026 NAIA National Championship will be announced Tuesday (Nov. 10) at 4 p.m. The national meet is scheduled for Friday (Nov. 20) at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Park in Vancouver, Wash.
FOLLOW THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Don't miss a minute of the latest action surrounding JBU Athletics by following the Golden Eagles on Facebook (/JBUathletics), Instagram (@JBUathletics) and X (@JBUathletics). Catch every Golden Eagle home game and select away games on the SAC Sports Network, available online or for download on your favorite streaming device.
