LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Messiah Men's Cross Country team was in action on Saturday morning at the Lock Haven Invite in both the Crimson and White 8k races. The course serves as a preview to the site of this year's Regional Championship to take place later this season. The Falcons competed well across both races, finishing as the second Division III program in both.
Kaleb Kabakjian highlighted the Falcons efforts in the more competitive Crimson race, finishing third in a season best time of 24:56.3. In the White race,
Nathan Hutchinson led the Falcons with a personal best time of 26:42.2 to finish fourth.
Messiah returns to action on Friday, Oct. 2 at 12:30 p.m. when they travel to Lehigh University for the annual Paul Short Run.
Crimson 8k Race
As mentioned,
Kaleb Kabakjian highlighted the Falcons efforts in the Crimson race, crossing in a season best time of 24:56.3 to finish third. Kabakjian crossed the 1.6k checkpoint in 50
th at 5:08.5, just 15 seconds behind the lead runner. Over the next two kilometers, Kabakjian steadily moved from 50
th to 28
th, clocking in at 11:17.9. He continued to pick off runners one by one, moving from 28
th into seventh through the 6.6k mark. A 4:03 final 1.4k settled Kabakjian into third with a time of 24:56.3, finishing as the top Falcon and second Division III runner in a field of 184 runners. Kabakjian's third place finish helped the Falcons finish with 152 points, earning fifth overall in the field of 22 teams and claiming the second-best finish of Division III programs.
Samuel Hennett was the second Falcon to cross the line, finishing in a personal best time of 25:42.3. Hennett began the race with Kabakjian, remaining with his teammate through the halfway point before Kabakjian began to pull away. Hennett crossed the 4.8k mark in 27
th and remained in similar position through the remainder of the race, crossing the line in 26
th as the second Falcon finisher. Also beginning the race with Kabakjian and Hennett was
Josiah Carnwath who finished in a personal best time of 25:57.3. Carnwath found himself just a few strides behind the duo for much of the race, finishing in 34
th overall and as the third Messiah finisher.
Micah Kao earned a personal best time of 26:21.6 after running a consistent race for the Falcons, finishing in 52
nd. Adding a personal best performance was
Matthew Yost, who spent the first half of the race in 108
th before battling throught the field in the second half to finish in 55
th behind his new personal best of 26:23.8.
The duo of
Eli McClymont and
Caden Sarkett each added personal best times with McClymont crossing in a time of 26:37.3 and Sarkett finishing in a time of 27:03.0. Finishing close behind Sarkett was
Bradley Kreider, crossing in a season best time of 27:34.3.
White 8K Race
A large contingent of Falcons toed the line for the White race, highlighted by 12 personal bests and an additional two season bests. The White race featured a larger field, with 228 runners taking the course. The Falcon squad finished in third out of 23 teams with 91 points, finishing as the second Division II team, just four points behind Grove City.
Nathan Hutchinson and
Jackson Kay were the top Falcon finishers in the White race, finishing fourth and ninth respectively. Hutchinson started the race in 26
th before working his way into the top ten at the 3.5k mark. He slowly edged his way forward through the back half of the race, moving up an additional five spots to finish in a personal best time of 26:42.2. Kay found himself in 20
th through the 4.8k check before moving into ninth at the 6.6k mark, holding his place through the end in a season best time of 27:00.4.
The third Falcon finisher across the line was
Burke Heltzel, who ran a steady race to finish with a personal best time of 27:13.0, finishing 16
th overall. The duo of
Larsen Cooper and
Nathan Seibert rounded out the scoring members of Messiah, with each running personal best times. Cooper finished 29
th with a time of 27:36.5 while Seibert was close behind in 25
th with a time of 27:47.5.
The next four Falcons to cross the line also ran new personal bests, with
Jared Walker finishing in a time of 28:07.0 and
Alex Williams crossing in 28:19.6.
Nathan Steen was close behind in a time of 28:23.1 and
Luke Acton finished with a time of 28:47.4.
Samuel Meyer and
Samuel Mateer were the last Falcons within the top 100, with Meyer crossing in a time of 28:53.9 and Mateer finishing in a personal best time of 28:58.5.
Isaac Struck-Vander Haak finished just outside the top 100 with a personal best time of 29:08.7.
The pair of
Daniel Satariano and
Matthew Rush ran together through parts of the race and finished close together. Satariano finished in a personal best time of 29:13.3 and Rush finished in a season best 29:16.9.
Josiah Hickey crossed the line in a personal best time of 29:57.5 while
Alastair Shea finished in a time of 32:44.0.
Up Next
Messiah returns to action on Friday, Oct. 2 at 12:30 p.m. when they travel to Lehigh University for the annual Paul Short Run.
