COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Bellevue University men's cross country team made its first trip to the national stage on Friday when they traveled to Columbia, Mo., for the NAIA National Championship meet. The meet was hosted by Columbia College on the super fast Gans Creek Cross Country Course under cool temperatures in the 40s and a light breeze.
The NSAA champion Bruins fell just short of a team goal of top 30 as they finished 32nd in the 36-team field. Nonetheless, performances were at a high level as two Bruins recorded lifetime bests over eight kilometers (4.97 miles), and two others were just off personal bests.
The Bruins were led by Ronald Kipyegon, who finished in 25:37.8, good for 176th place among 326 finishers and seven seconds off his best. He was followed closely by Richard Marcoux at 182nd in 25:39.9. Jose Lara Flores was just five seconds off his best at 239th, clocking in at 26:13.7. Collin Kotz, Xavier Mallow, and Luis Casallas Vega were 263rd, 264th, and 267th respectively in times of 26:32.1, 26;32.9 and 26:35.2. For Kotz and Casallas Vega, those times were season bests while an early week illness slowed NSAA champion Mallow. Griffin Kipchumba Kisoryo was the final Bruin runner, finishing in 28:01.9 for 307th.
Head Coach Craig Christians: "I keep hearing coaches say how the NAIA talent level is unlike anything they've ever seen before. This meet proved that. I thought we ran very well. Our guys did everything they could today, and this was a great learning experience for us. The bar has been raised for our program with the season we just experienced." Assistant Coach Matt Musiel added, "I'm proud of the improvement we made this year and especially happy that our seniors, Richard and Collin, got to experience the team's success. The rest of the guys are hungry to get back to the national meet and know there is another level of work to do. Our future looks bright."
Griffin Kipchumba Kisoryo will head to Sacramento, Calif., to run the NAIA Marathon Classic in two weeks while the remainder of the Bruins prepare for the indoor track season that kicks off in December.
