Men's Cross Country takes 'Third Place' in @SCAC_Sports Championship

SHREVEPORT, La. - The University of Dallas men's cross country team earned their second-consecutive third-place finish, this time in the 2013 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship hosted by Centenary College of Louisiana on Saturday morning at Clyde Fant Course.

Dallas' average time of 29:15.5 was an improvement upon last year's fourth-place effort of 30:26.4 in the SCAC Championship.

Despite this fete, it was Trinity University that claimed their second-consecutive first-place crown with an average of 26:51.2 on the 8k course.

The Tigers had six runners finish in the Top 10 to second-place Colorado College's four. Colorado's Nick Hall repeated as SCAC Runner-of-the-Year after posting 25:44.1.

Freshman Gabriel Marasigan (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) was the only Crusader to finish in the Top 15, as he paced to 13th with a time of 27:38.5.

Second-year head coach Matt Buchhorn witnessed three more from Dallas cross the finish-line with Top 20 times -- freshman Kevin Doherty (Lenexa, Kan.), sophomore Jack Grubner (University Place, Wash.) and junior Aaron French (Siren Wis.). Doherty (17th) ran 28:41.1, Grubner (19th) 29:26.6, and French (20th) 30:04.5. 

Not far off this group of teammates were senior Nick Hedlesky (St. Louis) and junior Hunter Johnson (Vicksburg, Miss.), who turned in times of 30:33.7 (22nd) and 30:50.5 (23rd), respectively, to entrench themselves in the Top 25. 

A trio of underclassmen -- Zach Zendt (Belton, Texas), Matt Klem (Livermore, Calif.) and Will Alexander (Lafayette, La.) -- rounded-out the field for Dallas. 

The team will now gear-up for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Nationals, which occur Nov. 7-8 in Syracuse, N.Y.