BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Messiah Men's Cross Country team had the honor today of racing at the Paul Short Invitational hosted by the Lehigh University, an incredibly competitive meet that sees hundreds of teams across all NCAA Divisions ascend on Bethlehem for a full day of competition. The Falcons toed the line in the second race of four seeded college men's races, the White race, running a number of season-best times on the quick course alongside a handful of personal record times. The Falcons posted their best top five total time so far this season, collectively running a time of 2:09:13 for an average time of 25:51, and placed 20th overall as a team in a field of 45 schools. The Falcons scored 534 points in White race within a massive field to finish as the second MAC team across all races, finishing adrift of LVC (sixth place, 265 points) but gapping other conference rivals that participated from other races across the day. Ranked fifth in the Mid-Atlantic Region going into the race, the Falcons confirmed their ranking by finishing fifth amongst teams in the region, finishing behind nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, and LVC, as well as Dickinson (13th place, 428 points). The Falcons finished comfortably ahead of regional rival Marywood (35th, 952 points) and also had the distinction of topping TCNJ (24th, 647 points), a nationally ranked team in 28th. Individual standout performances for the Falcons were paired with opportunities for future improvement by others, with the team collectively showing strong signs of promise amidst incredible competition today.
The Falcons will enjoy an off weekend from racing after three consecutive 8k efforts before returning to action on Saturday, October 18, for the Border Battle hosted by Rowan University. The entire team will return to action after only the top ten toed the line in today's race, promising a showcase of the Falcons' depth in their final race before the postseason begins.
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Race Action
Kaleb Kabakjian led the way for the Falcons for the second time in his career and for the first time this year, running a personal best time of 25:23.7 to place in 56th overall. Kabakjian ran a remarkably patient race, coming through the mile in a time of 5:09 with teammates
John Condon,
Kyle Costello,
Sean Baxter, and
Samuel Hennett in 185th place overall. Kabakjian passed a number of competitors throughout the race, moving up to 90th place before hitting the 5k mark in 16:00 and passing an additional 34 racers before the finish. Kabakjian's mature racing style resulted in an impressive top performance for the Falcons with a personal best by a margin of 21 seconds.
John Condon finished as the second racer for the Falcons, running an impressive time of 25:38.0 to finish within five seconds of his lifetime best. Condon also ran a very disciplined race, following Kakabjian's surge after the first mile and passing jerseys throughout the entire race. Condon's last 1.7km split was the fastest of the team, with his 5:05.9 closing split allowing him to pass 31 competitors in the final stretch of the race. Condon finished in 84th place overall, submitting an excellent second performance for the Falcons.
Louka Fetter crossed the line as the third Falcon racer, finishing in a season best time of 25:46.9. Fetter went out reasonably with a 5:02 opening mile, finding himself in 132nd place at the first split. Fetter continued to move up during the next two miles of the race, crossing the 5k mark with Kabakjian in 95th and with a time of 16:01. Fetter's last two miles found him sliding back in the field as he was given company by Kabakjian and Condon at various points before finishing in 101st place.
Samuel Hennett ran a fantastic race to finish as the fourth Falcon with a new personal best time of 25:59.7, just dipping under 26 minutes to register a new personal record by a margin of 51 seconds. Hennett also moved up very well throughout the course of the race, following Condon from a distance during the middle miles of the race and passing competitors between every time mat to place 130th overall.Â
Kyle Costello and
Sean Baxter ran very similar races to finish fifth and sixth on the team, respectively, with a season best time of Costello of 26:25.4 and a personal best time of 26:28.4 for Baxter. Both accompanied their teammates through an opening mile of around 5:10 before moving up throughout the field before the 5k mark. Both runners ran roughly steady relative to the field for the final three kilometers, running almost identical splits to finish just three seconds apart. Costello ended up in 166th place as the Falcons' fifth man, his highest placement so far this season, while Baxter finished in 186th as the sixth Falcon.
Nathaniel Coggins was the final Falcon to score points in seventh amongst his teammates, going out quickly in a 5:13 first mile and moving up very steadily throughout the field for the remainder of the race. Coggins was accompanied by
Josiah Carnwath for several of the miles in the middle of the race before unleashing a strong finish and pulling away from his teammate, finishing in 205th place with a season-best time of 26:33.9. Carnwath was the next Falcon to finish, carrying on quickly to the line with a personal best time of 26:42.8, a huge lifetime best byÂ
Jackson Kay and
Zeke Colyer were the final Falcons across the line, continuing a common trend on the day by passing competitors before each split throughout the race. The duo opened up the first mile in a time of roughly 5:22 before Kay made up significant ground during the second and third mile, separating from Colyer. Kay finished with a season-best time of 27:05.4, with Colyer close behind in a season best time of 27:16.4.Â
What's Up Next
The Falcons will enjoy an off weekend from racing after three consecutive 8k efforts before returning to action on Saturday, October 18, for the Border Battle hosted by Rowan University. The entire team will return to action after only the top ten toed the line in today's race, promising a showcase of the Falcons' depth in their final race before the postseason begins.
