YANKTON, S.D. -- Chris Casart and Cole Wagner turned in top 20 finishes to lead the Bellevue University men's cross country team to a sixth place finish at the Mount Marty Invitational on Saturday.

Race Information:

Location: Yankton, S.D.
Course: Fox Run Golf Course
Weather: Sunny Skies, Brisk Northwest Wind, Temperature in the 40's
Course Conditions: Lightly rolling course

Recap:

Chris Casart and Cole Wagner each earned top 20 finishes for the BU men who placed sixth of nine teams.

Casart ran strong from the start and held his position throughout the race to finish 17^th in a time of 27:39.

Wagner's 19^th place finish came differently, as he ran a tremendous final segment of the race to pick up a podium finish.

Dakota State won the team title, edging out second place Northwestern College by a 51-52 score. The Trojans benefitted from three top 10 finishers including the 1-2 scoring duo of Braden Curnow and Max Cruse.

Bellevue Results

Coach Craig Christians:

"I was really happy to see Chris Casart have a strong race from start to finish but that is the kind of runner he has become – very steady and confident in his ability. He has run a ton of miles in the last year and it's great to see him rewarded."

"I yelled at Cole Wagner with about a half mile to go that he needed four places to medal and he had the ability to dig down and go after people. I am really proud of the way he responded to that."

"Both Chris and Cole can get to the National meet at conference in a couple of weeks and it was great to have an opportunity to see Dakota State and Dickinson State today so we have a good idea of who we have to beat to get there."

Up Next:

With the regular-season wrapped up, Bellevue next competes at the North Star Athletic Association Cross Country Championships, hosted by Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa on Friday, Nov. 8.