Romeoville, Illinois – The Cougars raced at the renowned Lewis Crossover Saturday morning, competing amongst 27 different schools. Led by seniors Zach Vance and Mateo Luna, the Cougars came home with a 5^th place performance, besting 5 different ranked opponents.

Zach Vance, the powerhouse of late for the Cougars would shine yet again, taking a 9^th place finish in the prestigious meet. Hovering in the 20^th mark for the majority of the race, Vance would wait until the last 500 meters to kick, flying to a time of 24:27 (4:55 pace), a 13 second PR and his highest ever finish at the Lewis Crossover. This time serves as the 9^th fastest 8k in program history as Vance continues to write his name in the record books.

Mateo Luna would come in second for the Cougars, proving to be one of the nations most dynamic runners with a 19^th place finish. Sitting in 40^th with just 1k left, Luna would pour on the speed, kicking the last 1k and finishing with a time of 24:44 (4:59 pace), a 29 second PR and his highest finish at the Lewis Crossover.

Tyler Scholl continues to be a steady presence for the Cougars posting a 33^rd place as the Cougars #3. Going through the first 2k in 52^nd, Scholl moved up steadily but surely, running to a final time of 25:03 (5:02 pace).
Colden Welsh wasn't far behind, taking on the Lewis Crossover for the first time in his career. Sitting in the mid 40's for the large portion of the race, Welsh finished strong, jumping up 10 spots in the last 1k for a 38^th place finish. Welsh ultimately came through the line in a final time of 25:08 (5:03 pace), a 52 second PR for the junior.

Joseph Lethlean closed out the final 5 for the Cougars, the Australian native finishing in 42^nd place with a final time of 25:15 (5:05 pace). The sophomore hung around 50^th place for most the race, jumping up to 42^nd in the span of the last 3k. The race saw a 27 second PR for Lethlean, the final piece in scoring for the Cougars.

Tyler Schwarz came in 43^rd place, with Sam Schwarting close behind in 45^th place. Clayton Ackley, Asher Found, Braden Palmer and Jonas Teeter would close out the day for the Cougars in 61^st, 70^th, 87^th, and 107^th respectively.

The 5^th place finish saw the Cougars beat 5 ranked teams, a strong step forward as the Cougars continue to look to make the national meet. The Cougars will now look to the UCCS XC open for the last regular season meet.