Men's cross country races to 19th at nationals
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Keith Roberts Jr., the nationally ranked Heidelberg College men’s cross country team earned an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships following its fourth place finish at the Great Lakes Regional last weekend.
The Berg entered the race ranked 28th in the nation and stepped up to finish 19th overall in the 32-team field. Hanover College in Hanover, Ind. hosted the event at the L.S. Ayres Athletic Complex on its campus.
Claiming the team championship was Cortland State with 80 points, while North Central College took home runner-up honors with 115 points. The Berg accumulated 482 points to stand in 19th. Heidelberg was one of three institutions representing the Ohio Athletic Conference at the national race. Ohio Northern University stood 11th in the field, while Mount Union College followed the Berg in 24th.
The Heidelberg program was making its third-straight appearance at the NCAA Championships and its sixth overall (1997, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008).
Leading the way for the Berg was junior Devin Butcher (Bowling Green, Ohio / Bowling Green) in 47th. Butcher finished the eight kilometer race in 25:21.72. Following Butcher in a time of 25:27.72 was fellow classmate Scott Lasch (Huron, Ohio / Huron). Lasch stood 56th in the final standings, while newcomer Jamie Martin (Wooster, Ohio / Wooster) was 65th with a time of 25:33.89.
Junior Jacob Lemon (Oak Harbor, Ohio / Oak Harbor) (26:05.92) and senior Jarrod Saling (Caldwell, Ohio / Caldwell) (26:29.14) finished 132nd and 182nd, respectively.
Rounding out Heidelberg’s runners was junior Jamie Kuess (Coldwater, Ohio / Coldwater) in 217th at 27:20.62 followed by freshman Jordan Karnes (Edgerton, Ohio / Edgerton) in 219th with a time of 27:33.20.