LOGAN, N.J. - The Messiah Men's Cross Country team had a fantastic race today at the Rowan Border Battle, hosted by Rowan University at the Gloucester County DREAM park in Logan Township, New Jersey. The Falcons turned in a number of quick times on the gently rolling course, with cloudy weather and dry terrain enabling a series of great performances. The Falcons finished in fourth place as a team amongst a very competitive field with a score of 165 points, finishing behind nationally-ranked Carnegie Mellon (First, 67 points), Swarthmore (144 points), and Haverford (161 points). The Falcons collectively ran a very patient race, finding themselves only in 13th place in the team race after a mile and still in only eighth place as a team at the 7.28k timing mat, with only 720 meters remaining in the race. However, the Falcons incredibly moved up four spots as a team in the closing stretch of the race to finish in fourth and narrowly surpass Emory (fifth place, 167 points), regional rival Salisbury (sixth place, 168 points), and Moravian (seventh place, 169 points) by the narrowest of margins. The Falcons' top five total time stood at an incredible sum of 2:07:07 (average time of 25:25), their fastest in at least several years and most likely the fastest ever run in program history. The Falcons also did all this without any contribution from scoring senior John Condon, indicating great success to come in the postseason.

The Falcons will return to action after Fall Break by toeing the line at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, their first postseason race. The top 12 Falcons will have the privilege of competing at MACs on Saturday, November 1st, at Delaware Valley College. The Falcons will look to continue their strong performances throughout the season and utilize the confidence gained from today's stellar races to race their best across the rest of the MAC.

Race Action
Action on the day was split across two races, with the top 10 Falcons toeing the line in the Championship Race and the rest of the team taking their place in the open race. 
Kaleb Kabakjian finished as the top Falcon for the second time this season with an unbelievably strong race, led to a second place overall finish behind a massive 41 second PR of 24:41.2. Kabakjian's time, the second fastest known time in program history, allowed him to surpass a number of extremely accomplished racers en route to a stellar performance. Kabakjian ran a patient race and passed an incredible 51 bodies throughout the race, averaging 5:00 for his first three miles before unleashing a sensational 9:39.8 last 1.97 miles (4:54 pace) for the last two splits. Kabakjian passed a NCAA Division III National All-American right before the finish line to narrowly finish second, an emphatic cap on an unimaginably strong race for the sophomore.

Louka Fetter was the second Falcon to finish on the day, running his third fastest time ever with a 24:59.5 clocking. Fetter ran a strong race and registered a huge improvement from Paul Short, his previous season best time, by a huge margin of 47 seconds. Fetter spent the first three miles with Kabakjian, passing through the split in a time of 15:02.4, before holding the same pace during the last two miles as he watched his teammate surge ahead. Fetter trailed Kabakjian as closely as he could, passing four bodies in the last kilometer to finish in the top 10 in eigthth place overall. 

Kyle Costello ran a fantastic race, finishing with a personal record time as a sixth-year with a 25:24.5 clocking that beats his previous best by nine seconds from two years ago. Costello ran strongly through three miles with a time of 15:09, keeping Kabakjian and Fetter in his sights. Kabakjian ran very consistently for the last two miles to hold off any competitors after his quick start, holding 28th place overall at both the 7.28k timing mat and at the finish line. Costello's time stands as an incredible improvement on his past two seasons and also as a massive season best of 61 seconds, showcasing an ability to produce great performances when needed.

Sean Baxter continued the streak of incredible Falcon races with a personal record time of 25:48.4, a stellar improvement of 40 seconds on his previous personal record of 26:28.4 run just two weeks ago. Baxter went out very cautiously with a 5:12 opening mile, withheld from a quick opening split by the large field on the tight course. Baxter continued to find space to race as the competition unfolded, passing 50 competitors before hitting the three-mile mark in a time of 15:35. Baxter continued to move up strongly throughout the race, including registering the 3rd fastest final 720m split out of the entire field to pass an incredible 11 bodies in the last two minutes of running. Baxter's efforts landed him in 52nd place overall, a strong fourth score for the Falcons.

Samuel Hennett was the final Falcon to contribute to the team score in fifth place amongst his teammates behind a strong performance with a time of 26:13.6. Hennett ran well in isolation from any teammates, opening the first mile several seconds behind Baxter in 5:15 before passing through the three mile mark in an incredible consistent time of 15:45 (5:15 average). Hennett passed 13 competitors before the finish and held his place during the final 800m of the race, allowing him to finish in 79th place overall as the Falcons' fifth.

Close behind, Josiah Carnwath ran an exceptional race to place as the sixth Falcon behind a sizable personal record time of 26:20.1. Carnwath began his race cautiously with an opening split of 5:22.6 before increasing his pace significantly during the next two miles, crossing through the three mile mark with a time of 15:51.7 (5:17 average). Carnwath held a very strong pace to the finish, enabling him to earn a new personal record by a time of 22 seconds. 

Nathaniel Coggins was the final Falcon to score points in seventh, running a great race to narrowly set a new personal record time of 26:25.9 that surpasses his previous best by three seconds. Coggins began his race a bit ahead of Carnwath before finding his teammate shortly after the three mile mark and following his surge through the next couple of miles as closely as possible. Coggins closed quickly during the last split to finish just inside the top 100 in 99th.  

Zeke Colyer and Jackson Kay were the next Falcons across the line, finishing seven places apart with respective times of 26:47.6 and 26:53.1. Colyer's time stands as a personal record by three seconds, breaking his previous best from two years of 26:50.9. Kay registered his second-fastest time ever in dipping under 27 minutes by leading Colyer through the first four miles and then following his teammate's surge across the finish line. Tyler Billet was the final Falcon in the championship, registering a time of 27:59.9. 

In the open race, Jacob Sahlstrom had an amazing race to set a new personal record by eight seconds and lead the Falcons in the second race of the day. Sahlstrom spent the whole race in isolation from any teammates, blazing through the first mile in a time of 5:11.9 before holding on for the rest of the race to just dip under 27 minutes with a 26:56.9 clocking. 

Ryan Klemick, Samuel Meyer, Micah Kao all finished in a row in 20th, 21st, and 22nd places respectively with a trio of fantastic personal records. Klemick surpassed his previous best by nearly 50 seconds with a time of 27:24.9, while Samuel Meyer registered a personal record by a staggering margin of 111 seconds  with a 27:30.7 clocking. Micah Kao rounded out the trio after going out very quickly with Jacob Sahlstrom, still managing to finish with a personal record time of 27:37.0. Nathan Seibert rounded out the number of Falcons under 28 minutes, finishing with a huge personal record time of 27:56.9. 

Evan Sarkett finished with a season best time of 28:11.3, with Larsen Cooper finishing close behind with a personal record time of 28:36.8. Matthew Rush also set a personal record time by dipping under 29 minutes with a time of 28:59.4, while Nathan Steen also registered a lifetime best just outside of 29 minutes in 29:05.9. Daniel Satariano finished with a season best and a time within 10 seconds of his lifetime best with a time of 29:29.4 and was followed by Luke Acton, who broke 30 minutes behind a fantastic sprint finish in his first ever 8k race with a time of 29:58.6. Samuel Mateer registered a fantastic race to set a new personal record by nearly a minute with a time of 30:12.5, with teammate Jared Walker finishing right behind with a time of 30:15.4. Gavin Coggins rounded out the Falcons' efforts on the day with a personal record time of 31:13.9, capping a fantastic day of lifetime bests for the Falcons.

Up Next
The Falcons will return to action after Fall Break by toeing the line at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, their first postseason race. The top 12 Falcons will have the privilege of competing at MACs on Saturday, November 1st, at Delaware Valley College. The Falcons will look to continue their strong performances throughout the season and utilize the confidence gained from today's stellar races to race their best across the rest of the MAC.

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