GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's cross country team competed in the Knight Invite on Saturday morning at the Gainey Athletic Complex. In a field filled with NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, NAIA, and Junior College opponents, the Hornets finished eighth out of 10 teams. Their total score was 244, with seven different runners participating.
Calvin won the meet with a score of 26, while Grand Valley followed up in second at 51 points. Hillsdale (56 points), DePauw (92 points), and Adrian (191 points) rounded out the top-five teams. Grand Rapids CC, Alma, Kalamazoo, Cleary, and Albion finished the rest of the teams in that order.
Noah Eckenroth and Will Thomas made their collegiate cross country debuts on a hot and humid day, finishing as the top two runners for the Hornets. In the 8k race, Eckenroth finished 33rd at a 28:25 pace, while Thomas was not that far behind in 39th after running a 28:55.
Another first year in Kyle Ackerson and returner Garrick Hohm teamed up to come through with solid times in the warm conditions. Patrick Dunfee also had a big kick at the end to be the fifth-place finisher for the Hornets. In 48th was Ackerson with a time of 29:51, and two places behind him was Hohm at 29:57. Dunfee crossed the finish line at 30:23 in 54th.
Also running for the Hornets were Levi Thomas (31:25) and Caleb Ewald (34:34).
"The results for the men's team today are encouraging," said Head Coach Kyle Morrison. "We handled the heat well and were in the mix with three MIAA schools for our season opener. With Keegan Reynolds home with a cold, we had a bit of a gap between our fourth and fifth runners. However, I was very pleased with our newcomer's bold performances and the leadership of our returners. We have more work ahead of us, but these guys are hungry and ready to keep working hard by racing smart."