CHANUTE, Kan. — Southwestern College men's cross country competed at the NCCC Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 17, finishing fourth out of four teams in the standings.
The Moundbuilders totaled 87 points in the 8-kilometer race. Cross country team scores are determined by adding the finishing-place points of a team's top five eligible runners, with the lowest total winning. Southwestern's five scoring runners combined for 87 points, placing the Moundbuilders fourth overall.
Despite the team finish, Coach Kegg has this to says about his men's team, "the guys showed significant individual improvement, with several runners recording personal records and season-best performances on a course that proved slower than the team's previous competition two weeks earlier."
Freshman LeDaniel Harrison led Southwestern with a 12th-place overall finish, completing the course in 28 minutes, 38.1 seconds. Harrison earned nine points toward the Moundbuilders' team score after runners who did not count toward team scoring were excluded.
Junior Derek Ponce-Gonzales followed in 19th place with a time of 30:40.0, improving his season-best mark by approximately two seconds. Freshman Isaiah Jones finished 22nd overall in 31:19.8, establishing a personal record by 38 seconds.
Joshua Wessel and Jacob Salas rounded out Southwestern's scoring lineup with personal-best performances. Wessel finished 35th in 34:10.4, improving his previous record by 58 seconds, while Salas placed 39th in 34:37.0, cutting 1 minute, 9 seconds off his previous best.
Although Southwestern finished fourth in the team standings, the Moundbuilders demonstrated encouraging progress throughout the race. Three runners established personal records, while Ponce-Gonzales recorded his season-best improvements.
The performances reflected the team's continued development as the Moundbuilders prepare for the final stretch of the season.
Southwestern will return to action Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Blazing Tiger Classic, hosted by the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Neb. The men's race is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
