Rapid City, SD – The Cougars rallied for the RMAC Cross Country Championships in Rapid City, taking on a field of 14 different RMAC schools. Led by Jonas Teeter, the Cougars finished 13^th with a total of 388 points.

Colorado Christian was led by the duo of Jonas Teeter and Iain Embry, the junior and sophomore finishing less than 1 second apart. Teeter would get out of the gate early, coming through his first 2k in 6:30 hovering around the 50^th place mark. Embry would be short behind, coming through his first 2k in 6:40 and the 75^th place mark. Both fought hard, digging deep to hang on through the remainder of the 5 mile race. Teeter came across the line in 85^th with a final time of 26:20 (5:17 pace), with Embry on his heels in 86^th with a final time of 26:21(5:17 pace).

Jeremiah De Le Cerda was the first freshman across the line for the Cougars, following a fantastic performance in the prior UCCS XC Open. Today was no different. The freshman got out strong, finding his rhythm and honing in at the 99^th mark through 3k. Steady, De Le Cerda went through the entire rest of the race at the 99^th mark, finishing with a time of 26:45 (5:22 pace). This serves as a 10 second PR for De Le Cerda, capping off an incredible freshman season debut.

Alex Stucky came in 4^th for the Cougars, the Colorado native running an impressive showcase to close out the season. Getting out in 2k in roughly 6:52, Stuckey slowly but surely moved up several spots, moving from 106^th, to 102^nd, ending in 101^st as he came across the final line. A mature run from the true freshman, Stuckey came through the line in a final time of 26:49 (5:23 pace), a mind-boggling 42 second PR.

Nate Dillavou finished out the scoring for the Cougars, another freshman who displayed an extremely mature race. Getting out in 6:52 for the first 2k, Dillavou hovered in the 107^th spot for the majority of the race, before closing on a Fort Lewis racer for a final finish of 106^th.  Dillavou finished with a final time of 26:59 (5:25 pace), an incredible 37 second PR for the Colorado Springs native.

Keegan Shirley and Nolan Venti followed behind, each running PR's with 111 and 118^th place finishes. Shirley came across the line in a time of 27:06, (5:27 pace) for a 36 second PR, while Venti came cross the line in a time of 27:32 (5:32 pace) for a 22 second PR. Evan McClinton closed things out for the Cougars, finishing in in 120^th with a final time of 27:43.

A strong day for the Cougars, every single freshman walked away with a PR to close out their cross country season. The Cougars now look ahead to a vital regionals race, set for November 21^st at Lubbock Christian's Course, a familiar course the Cougars ran earlier this year. The Cougars will push for a national bid, aiming for the 8^th consecutive appearance on the national stage.