The Men's Cross Country team competed at the NCCAA Division II National Championship race in Warsaw, Indiana on Friday, November 15th. The Championship meet was hosted by Grace College and Bethel University. Bob Jones took first place with 42 points, Emmaus Bible College claimed second (72 points), with Crown third (82 points). Moody Bible Institute came in 5th place out of the 8 scoring teams, with 124 points, only 7 points away from Ozark Christian (MO), who earned 4th place.
Freshman Will Hartke finished first for the Archers, covering the 8k course in 30:44, setting a new personal record by 1 minute 22 seconds. Kevin Drake (junior) ran a brave race in 31:19, only a few seconds off his PR. Josiah Berni (sophomore) was next in 31:29, 42 seconds faster than his previous PR. Junior Nate Brant was close behind in 31:42, not far off his PR. Kendall Reyes Montiel (sophomore) rounded out the score for the Archers, finishing his first 8k of the season in 32:18, persevering through a season of injury.
Sophomore David Kettel ran a great race in 32:22, edging out his previous record by 2 seconds. Silas McCormick (freshman) was next in 34:39, (with a 59-second PR), followed by Blaise Naaman (senior) in 34:54, crushing his PR by 3 minutes 41 seconds. William Derby (freshman) was next in 36:30 (1 minute 16-second PR), followed by Nate Darge (sophomore) in 37:13, setting a 46-second PR. Carlos Vasquez Lopez (sophomore) achieved a time of 40:10, 3 minutes 11 seconds faster than his previous record.
Coach Troy Fichter: "I am incredibly proud of my men! They all did a great job and pushed hard during the race. I am honored to be the coach of a fantastic group of young men and very excited about their running potential for next year!"