LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Messiah men's cross country runner
Logan Horst represented the Falcons in the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country National Championship (8K) on Saturday morning at Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. The junior runner completed the 8K course in a season-best time of 25:03.6, earning an overall finish of 143 out of a competitive field of 289 of the best NCAA Division III cross country runners.
The mark smashed his previous 8K season-best time (25:38.2) by over 30 seconds.
From the opening kilometer of the race, Horst was navigating the 8K course at a phenomenal rate. The junior finished the first kilometer in 3:13.9, finishing the first three kilometers with a time of 9:22.4. Horst's times at the fourth and fifth kilometer marks were 12:34.5 and 15:52.7, respectively.
Horst continued to run strong throughout the entirety of the race by continually gaining ground on runners ahead of him. The junior runner was in 194th place at the third kilometer, put a push in the final five kilometers of the course had him finish in an impressive 143rd place.
Horst, who was the first Messiah men's cross country runner to compete in a National Championship since 2018 (Benjamin Schott), earned an automatic qualifying bid to race today after turning in an 8K time of 26:33.9 in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals last Saturday, placing fifth overall in the region.
Claiming MAC Runner of the Year after placing first in the MAC Championships (8K) at DeSales University with a time of 26:33.2, Horst has been named MAC Runner of the Week four different times this season.
Horst claimed team-best finishes in eight different competitions this season, earning his season-best 8K time (25:38.2) at the Mike Woods Invitational at the National Warplane Museum (Oct. 2).
Joining Horst in Louisville, Ky., were 24 teammates from both the Messiah men's and women's cross country teams. The support paid off, proving to be another positive aspect of an important day in Messiah cross country program history.
The junior runner's performance on Saturday puts an official end to a successful 2021 season for Messiah men's cross country.
Coaches and Teammates show their support of Logan Horst at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Meet.
