GRANTHAM, Pa.- The Messiah Men's Cross Country team returned to action today on a cloudy, misty day at the Messiah Invitational, hosting runners from 11 other teams alongside a strong S.W.I.F.T team on the Falcons' home course. The course, which is among the hilliest and most challenging courses in the conference, begins on the practice soccer fields before featuring sections on the fit trail, back 40, and a loop around the Starry fields before finishing back on the practice soccer fields. Today's Messiah Invitational served as a preview race for the Middle Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championships, which will also be hosted by Messiah and held on campus at the beginning of November.
The Falcons will return to action on Saturday, October 12, at the DeSales University Invitational in Center Valley, PA.
The Falcons performed very well on their home course, narrowly finishing second as a team out of 11 full teams, all from the MAC. The Falcons (62 points) finished just two points behind victor Stevens (60 points) while finishing just ahead of Widener (67 points, third place). The Falcons benefitted from packing well during the race and having a very close spread, while Stevens and Widener both benefited from low scores provided by their strong top duos. Ultimately, Stevens' 1-3 punch from their top two runners carried them to a narrow win over the Falcons despite the Falcons' fourth and fifth runners finishing ahead of their Stevens counterparts. Regardless, the Falcons' performance bodes very well for their chances at the MAC Championships later this fall on the same course, when every team in the MAC will be in attendance for an all-out effort.
Race Action
Junior
Louka Fetter was the Falcons' top finisher in the absence of
Kaleb Kabakjian and
John Condon in his second race back from injury. Fetter began the race cautiously in a pack with
Tyler Billet,
Bradley Kreider,
Jackson Kay, and
Kyle Costello, taking the first two hilly miles of the race slowly with splits of 5:42 and 6:04. Fetter, Billet, and Kreider began to separate from their teammates on the downhill section of the fit trail following the second mile. Fetter and Kreider further accelerated ahead once the course leveled around the two-and-a-half-mile mark, with Fetter finally breaking free off the front around the third mile mark. Fetter continued to gain throughout the final two miles of the race, passing several MAC foes as well as two S.W.I.F.T alumni to move up to sixth place overall with a time of 27:52.3 on the challenging course.
Bradley Kreider was the second finisher for the Falcons on the day, staying with Fetter until the third mile mark and trailing behind him closely throughout the fourth mile. Just like Fetter, Kreider moved up well throughout the course of the race, passing numerous runners on the downhill segment of the fit trail and arriving at the halfway point of the course in 15th place. Kreider passed three more before the finish to place 12th, crossing the line with a time of 28:18.5 for an excellent performance overall.
Jackson Kay placed third amongst his teammates with a time of 28:26.8, finishing close behind Kreider and two places adrift to take 14th overall.
Tyler Billet finished fourth for the Falcons with a time of 28:37.2 after pursuing Fetter and Kreider's surge around halfway. Kay eventually caught up to his teammate during the latter stages of the race and began to chase after Kreider, with Billet following close behind to the finish.
Kyle Costello was the final Falcon to contribute to the team score on the day, finishing in fifth amongst his teammates and 25th overall with a time of 28:51.9 in his second race back from injury.
Nathaniel Coggins continued his consistent streak across the first three races to finish as the sixth Falcon across the line, ending up with a time of 28:59.6. Coggins' performance closely echoes his team finishes of seventh and sixth during the first two races of the season, emphasizing his consistency for the Falcons.
Josh Bauman rounded out the Falcons' scoring seven with a time of 29:00.3, finishing just behind Coggins in a tightly grouped bunch of runners.
Lance Kauffman was the eighth Falcon across the line in a time of 29:29.3, a performance that improves significantly on his team finish from the Falcons' last race.
Evan Sarkett and
Nathan Kimmel were the Falcons' last racers under 30 minutes with respective times of 29:50.0 and 29:56.9, rounding out a solid top 10 for Messiah.
Gus Rouland ran a solid time of 30:18.0 for the Falcons as the next finisher, while
Sean Baxter finished close behind with a time of 30:30.4 on the very difficult course. To conclude the Falcons' efforts on the day, freshman
Matthew Rush,
Nathan Seibert,
Ethan Dell, and
Ryan Klemick formed a solid final pack for the Falcons, finishing with respective times of 31:38.6, 31:48.8, 31:59.7, and 32:05.7.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will return to action on Saturday, October 12, at the DeSales University Invitational in Center Valley, PA. DeSales' challenging course will provide another opportunity for the Falcons to test themselves on a course similar in difficulty to the MAC championships with another strong assortment of Middle Atlantic Conference teams in attendance. The Falcons' efforts are ultimately geared towards the MAC Championships and Regionals to follow in November, with strong performances in races so far boding well for the season's progress.
