ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The Kalamazoo College men's cross country team participated at the Augustana College Invite on Saturday morning (Oct. 15) at the Saukie Golf Course. The Hornets finished 27th with 487 points.

The top five teams at the race included Pomona-Pitzer (48 points), North Central (69), Wartburg (84), Washington (130), and Otterbein (149). The race was loaded with talent, with nine of the top 35 teams in the country being at the race. There were also three teams in the top 10 of the Great Lakes Region in Otterbein, Calvin, and DePauw.

The two first years in Will Thomas and Noah Eckenroth once again paced the Hornets while also setting personal bests. Thomas crossed the line at 26:21, a minute and 13 seconds faster than his previous best time. Eckenroth was not far behind at 26:24, a minute and 19 seconds better than his last race. Another first-year finished as the third-fastest Hornet in Kyle Ackerson, finishing at 27:57. That pace was 53 seconds faster than his previous career best.

Rounding out the top five finishers for Kalamazoo were Patrick Dunfee and Caleb Ewald. Dunfee finished at 28:08, a minute and 38 seconds quicker than his previous personal best. Ewald is the fourth first-year in the top five for the Hornets, as he ran a 28:45, which is a career-best by a minute and 45 seconds.

The other three Kalamazoo runners were Garrick Hohm, Levi Thomas, and Keegan Reynolds. Hohm just beat out his fastest collegiate time by a second at 29:07. Thomas ran a 29:44, which is 15 seconds quicker than his previous personal best. Reynolds finished at 31:26 to complete the team scores.

"We had a strong showing from our first-year runners today," said Head Coach Kyle Morrison. "There were career-bests across the board as the team ran a great race. Unfortunately, our team placement did not show how well we performed, but with the MIAA Championships in a couple of weeks, we will be able to compete well within the conference."

The Hornets' next meet will be the MIAA Championships on Friday (Oct. 29). The race will take place at Shepard High School, beginning at 11 a.m.