HOLLAND, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's cross country team competed at the NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 12) at the Three Fires Golf Club. Out of 38 teams, the Hornets finished in 33rd place with 936 points.
John Carroll took the top spot in the regional with 48 points. Case Western (65 points), Mount Union (108 points), Otterbein (115 points), and Calvin (141 points) round out the top five teams.
The Hornets were led by its youngest class, as four first-years were the top four runners for Kalamazoo. Leading the way was Will Thomas, running a 26:02. This eclipsed his season-best time by 25 seconds. Next, Noah Eckenroth and Kyle Ackerson paced each other for most of the race, as Eckenroth finished at 27:19 and Ackerson crossed the line at 27:34. Ackerson's time was also a new season best by 26 seconds. Finally, Caleb Ewald finished in the team's fourth spot with a time of 29:07. Ewald was the third Hornet to set a new personal best with his being by 25 seconds.
Patrick Dunfee, Levi Thomas, and Keegan Reynolds rounded out the Kalamazoo runners. Dunfee posted a time of 29:35 and Thomas finished in 29:52. For the second straight race, Reynolds set a new personal best as he improved by nine seconds and crossed the line at 30:13.
"The Kalamazoo men ran tough today in pretty brutal conditions of snow and sleet," said Head Coach Kyle Morrison. "Despite the weather, three of the seven men walked away with lifetime bests. We jumped four spots in a tough Great Lakes Region. The thing I am most excited about is the momentum of this group. We graduate nobody from this squad, and our top three are all in their first year with the program. Will was a highlight of today, running a career-best to place 105th, which is an impressive start to his career."
Kalamazoo wraps up its season after taking sixth in the MIAA Championships and finishing 33rd in the NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional.