Men's Cross Country Finishes Fifth at AAC Championships; Cox Qualifies for Nationals

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- The cross country team competed for a championship on Friday. Returning to Sequoyah Park, the team ran for an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Title at the championship meet. 

A finish of 11th place with a time of 25:06 not only made Eli Cox the first TWU runner to cross the finish line, it qualified the runner for the NAIA National Championship meet. The next runner to cross the finish line for the Bulldogs was Mack Alas in a time of 25:37 for be in 25th place. Caleb Greene ran the 8k course in a time of 26:20 to finish in 37th place. Tyler Bowers (27:32) and Adrian Nelka-Hernandez (27:33) were back-to-back in the race, finishing 51st and 52nd respectively while Charlie Wilson gave the team another finisher in the 50s, finishing 55th with a time of 27:40. 

Jack Headrick was the 61st runner to finish the race with a time 27:57 and Zane Marlow (28:03), Conner Craig (28:08), and Ray Richardson (28:17) finished back-to-back-to-back in 64th, 65th, and 66th, respectively. Finn Fitzsimmons rounded out the team's runners in the race with a time of 30:53 for 93rd place.

Alas, Bowers, Cox, Craig, Fitzsimmons, Greene, Marlow, Nelka-Hernandez, and Wilson all ran new personal best times in the race. 

Cox also earned a spot on the All-AAC Second Team with his finish in the race.

On the team scoreboard, the Bulldogs were fifth. The team accumulated 136 points. 

The NAIA National Championship Meet, where Cox will compete as an individual, is set for Nov. 17 in Vancouver, Wash.

This was the final meet of the season for the cross country team.