SACRAMENTO, CA – The Colorado Christian men's cross country team had a lot of be pleased with in 2019. They have already achieved more than any previous team in program history. Yet, there wasn't a complete sense of satisfaction.

As the Cougars toed the line at the NCAA Division II National Championships on a sunny late morning in northern California, there was still more to prove. The cross country community needed to know that this program is on the rise and ready to be a factor on the national stage.

Using a strategy that required patience and poise, the squad rallied from the back the pack in the 34-team field to place 17th overall in their first appearance at the national championships.

HOW IT HAPPENED: About a quarter of the way through the race the Cougars were in the 33rd position. At the halfway mark the outlook to the casual fan didn't look good either as the national ranked - Colorado Christian was ranked 23rd in the latest USTFCCCA national poll - squad moved up to only the 30th spot.

The push towards the finishing shoot really began with about 1.5 miles left in the 6.2 mile (10K) race as the squad got into the 23rd slot. From there they moved up to 21st with about a half mile remaining. During that last stretch the men moved past 30 runners as they crossed the finish line with 480 points. No team improved more in the standings during that last stretch then Colorado Christian.

The top individual finisher for the Cougars was Josh Pierantoni. The sophomore completed the course in 61st place with a time of 31:08.6. Close behind him in the 267-runner field was Ryder Searle who crossed the finish line in 31:21.8 to place 80th.

Nicholas Skinner was a stalwart down the stretch as he ran down 19 runners during the half-mile. Skinner placed 123rd as he notched a time of 31:47.7. Trent Cochran closed out his freshman campaign with a 145th place finish (31:58). In his first season in a Colorado Christian uniform Jeremy Miller clocked a 156th place finish by registering a time of 32:04.9.

The seven-runner team was rounded out by freshman Jacob Vermillion (32:19.2) and Keaton Helm (32:39.6), who was running his final collegiate cross country race. They placed 172nd and 198th respectively.

QUOTEABLE: "We had a plan today and we went out and executed as best as we could. That first mile was fast but we were able to stay composed," said head coach Jon Poag. "The success of today is a testament to the hard work each runner put forth since the season started. To qualify for this meet and to have success is evidence of the total buy-in everyone had. This is just the beginning of what we can do on this level."

UP NEXT: Rest. The Cougars start indoor track and field season on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Colorado School of Mines.