The 19th-ranked Dordt University men's cross country team finished third at the Blazing Tiger Classic held this morning at Mahoney State Park near Ashland, Neb.
Dordt totaled 119 points and finished third out of the 26 teams competing. The Defenders were just four points in back of Mid-America Christian (Okla.) and 46 behind No.2 Southern Oregon, who won the team title with 73 points.Â
17th-ranked Saint Mary (Kan.) and Columbia (Mo.) round out the top five teams.
Trace Obbink was the top Defenders runner for the second consecutive meet, finishing 17th with a time of 25:26. Obbink was the third GPAC runner to come across the finish line, trailing Caleb Tofteland (Northwestern) and Alvin Keter (Doane).Â
Jackson Prins and
Caleb Van Beek finished right behind Obbink, in 19th and 21st place, respectively. Prins completed the 8k course in 25:29 while Van Beek posted a time of 25:36.Â
Bennett Visser gave the Defenders a fourth runner among the top 25, posting a career best time of 25:43, good for 24th place. Rounding out the Defenders counters was
Lawson Burkhart who finished 41st with a time of 25:58.
Mohamed Guled from Mid-America Christian was the individual champion with a time of 24:11, one of two MACU runners in the top four.
By the Numbers:Â
- Dordt's total time: 2:08:15 (top five runners)
- 1-5 split: 33 seconds; 1-7 split: 44 seconds
- 27 complete teams and 401 runners finished today's race
- 41 Dordt runners finished today's race
Notes:Â
- Obbink was the Defenders top runner for the second time this season
- Obbink has finished among the top 25 in all four meets this season
- Prins has been the Defenders second runner twice this season
- Prins has finished among the top 25 in all four meets this season
- this was Van Beek's best team performance this season (3rd runner)
- Van Beek has two top 25 finishes this season
- this was the final meet of the regular season
- the Defenders will next compete at the GPAC Championship on Nov.7
- 10 Defenders ran a season or career best time:
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