SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- After a six month stretch since racing last (NSAA indoor track last February), the Bruin distance squad had the opportunity to bust some rust at this morning's Sunflower Opener hosted by Dordt University. Ten NAIA schools and a number of unattached NCAA runners who had had their seasons cancelled made up the field.
The races were held on the campus of Dordt University in an area called the "Dordt Prairie" and featured even rolling terrain and numerous turns. The heat was a factor as temps rose into the 80s by the conclusion of the meet.
The men's 8K race saw the BU men capture fifth place among nine scoring teams. Desyebelew Debesh, competing in his first cross country race as a Bruin, led the men with a 46th place finish in 27:57.2. Debesh was followed closely by Edrei Murillo, just four spots back running 28:07.5 and just seconds from his personal best established last year as a freshman. Chris Casart, Cole Wagner, and freshman Gabe Poppen completed the Bruin scorers as they finished 65th, 93rd, and 95th respectively.
Coach Christians: "I thought it was a good opener. It's tough to go so long without racing and we haven't begun to run workouts at race pace so I was happy with the way everyone performed. I was particularly pleased with the performance of our freshmen and newcomers and I'm very encouraged about the rest of the season."
The Bruins will travel to Madison, S.D. next Saturday, Sept. 12, where they will compete in the Herb Blakely Invitational hosted by Dakota State University.
