The Hillsdale College Chargers proved the rankings wrong today as they took second at the G-MAC Cross Country Championship meet. They were led by teammate and conference champion, Joey Humes.
Walsh University took first with 35 points, while the Chargers finished with 46. Malone University came in third with 64 points and Cedarville University, fourth, had 91. All three teams, Walsh, Malone, and Cedarville, were ranked above Hillsdale in the most recent Midwest Region polls.
It took each Charger's best effort today to secure second place, as everyone who ran earned a new PR on the the Laurel School-Bulter Campus 8k course in Pepper Pike, Ohio.
After a disappointing finish at the conference meet last year, Humes ran his best race yet, finishing in 24:05, which was 13 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Junior Mark Miller finished second for the Chargers and fifth overall, posted a 33-second PR with a time of 24:49.5. Humes and Miller both earned First-Team All-Conference honors.
Junior Morgan Morrison finished less than half a second behind Miller to secure sixth place with a huge PR of nearly a minute and a half. He joined Humes and Miller on the All-Conference First-Team. Also with a new personal best time is sophomore Adam Wier who came in 11th overall in 25:02. Wier earned Second-Team All-Conference honors.
Freshman Mark Sprague had a standout race, stepping up under the pressure of championship season. He finished in a key 23rd place, right ahead of a Walsh and two Cedarville runners. His time of 25:39.4 is a PR by more than a minute and a half.
Last year, senior Alex Oquist ran in his first conference cross country championship race and finished 79th. This year, he came in 38th place overall with a personal best time of 26:15. Freshman Isaac Waffle finished 10 seconds behind Oquist in 26:25 to take 46th with a big PR as well.
Senior Charles Holbrook is having his best season yet as he's finally feeling healthy and strong enough to compete at a high level. He earned another personal best time of 26:38.9 to take 52nd for the Chargers today. He was followed by freshman Sean Hoeft, who took 71st in 27:14, which is his best time so far in his career.
PHOTO: Ursuline College Athletics
WORDS: Calli Townsend