JOPLIN, MO- Cross country took part in the NCAA Championships on Saturday in Missouri, making their fourth straight appearance at the highest level of competition. The team posted an excellent finish, as Matthew Storer took home All American honors with a third place finish while the team came in eighth out of the 34 elite teams participating.

The course did not feature a lot of elevation change with just a few slopes and small hills, so the race was truly one of flat out endurance and willpower. Matthew Storer started strong and stayed attached to the front pack. Throughout the race he remained in the top 10, staying in the 8-7 spot. At the 8k mark, he sat in 4th place as the final stretch approached. Storer kicked in the final kilometer, passing a pair of runners as he came across the finish line in third place with a time of 29:14.5. The finish marked the best in program history at Nationals and set a new 10k record with his impressive time. Alex Vance closed with an impressive final two kilometers, picking off many runners as he came in 44th with a mark of 30:27.0, while Caleb Hershey followed with 70 points on a run of 30:55.3.

Trent Cochran came next for the Cougars, posting 90 points with a time of 31:12.0. Zach Vance was strong in his first Nationals appearance, scoring 93 points with a mark of 31:14.0, while Klay Grant ran a 31:55.5. Isaac Roberts closed the race with a time of 32:20.4 as the team posted a quality finish. 

The team finished in the top 10 for the third straight year, claiming eighth place amongst a 34 team field of extremely talented teams. Wingate took the team title, followed by Colorado School of Mines and East Central. The RMAC saw four teams place in the top eight as they flexed their muscles as the best cross country conference in the nation. 

Top-10: 1. William Amponsah (WTAMU) 29:04.3; 2. Simon Kelati (Western Colorado) 29:13.2; 3. Matthew Storer (CCU) 29:14.5; 4. Hamza Chahid (Wingate) 29:15.3; 5. Andrew Amor (NMHU) 29:18.0; 6. Aspel Kiprob (East Central) 29:20.7; 7. Jan Lukas Becker (Mississippi College) 29:22.9; 8. Loic Scomparin (Mines) 29:23.9; 9. Ryan Hartman (Augustana) 29:32.9; 10. Soheil Boufrizi (Wingate) 29:34.2

Colorado Christian: 1. Matthew Storer: 29:14.5; 2. Alex Vance: 30:27.0; 3. Caleb Hershey: 30:55.3; 4. Trent Cochran: 31:12.0; 5. Zach Vance: 31:14.0; 6. Klay Grant: 31:55.5; 7. Isaac Roberts: 32:20.4

The Cougars close the 2023 season with another extremely impressive finish at Nationals. The team now has made four straight National Championship appearances, and with an eighth place team finish they have claimed top 10 in three straight seasons. CCU cross country is a name to be reckoned with as year after year they are now competing at the highest level and posting extremely high finishes.