For a mid-distance dominant team, the Hillsdale College men's cross country team put together a strong series of races in its first meet of the 2019 cross country season. The Chargers finished 10th at the Calvin College Knight Invitational Saturday, where 24 teams made up of 218 athletes raced along Calvin's well-liked and speedy course.
Senior Joseph Humes kicked off his senior season as expected: in first place. He ran the first half very conservatively, then he dropped the competition as he dashed to the finish in 24:49.9, with the next closest runner finishing in 25:10.7.
In a similar fashion, junior Mark Miller ran the first half of his race a bit more comfortably, saving his strenght and speed as he came into the finish with a very strong kick. He took 16th overall in 25:40.3.
Taking 65th for the Charger was up-and-coming sophomore Adam Wier, who earned a new personal record of 26:37.6. This beats his previous best of 26:46.9.
Freshman Mark Sprague made his debut today, taking 124th in 27:51.8. He had quite the adjustment to make, running an extra 3,000 meters compared to his usual high school cross country races.
Junior Jack Shelley ran right with Sprague for much of the race, as he finished in 28:08.4 to take 136th.
Junior Morgan Morrison and senior Alex Oquist rounded out the pack of Chargers taking 141st and 196th, respectively. Morrison finished in 28:12.4, and Oquist crossed the finish in 29:27.1.
These Chargers will take next weekend off while some of their other teammates compete in Tiffin, Ohio for the Tiffleberg Invitational.
WORDS and PHOTO: Calli Townsend