ANGOLA, Ind. -- The Trine men's cross country team has improved its finish in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association each of the last three years and will be looking to continue that trend this season.
The Thunder has improved from a sixth-place finish in 2013 to third place in the standings last fall. Trine will have to replace two key runners, but return the bulk of last season's roster as it looks to continue its ascent towards contending for a conference title. The team will be counting on continued improvement from its returning core as well as contributions from newcomers to achieve its goal.
Adam Schaaf (Greentown, Ind. / Eastern) will be looking to return to his healthy form from the 2014 season, when he earned All-MIAA First Team honors. Schaaf placed seventh in the MIAA Championships that season.
Depth will be a key component of the Thunder program this fall, as six of the team's top seven finishers from last year's MIAA Championship back. Trine boasts eight returners who scored in the team's top five in at least one race last fall. Just two of those returners are seniors this season.
Sophomore Kody Snyder (Burnettsville, Ind. / Twin Lakes) finished last season strong and will look to carry that performance over into 2016. Fellow sophomore Nicholas Zak (Saint John, Ind. / Hanover Central) consistently scored in Trine's top five last season and will look to continue his development after a strong track season.
Juniors Ricardo Castillo (Goshen, Ind. / Goshen), Collin Elek (Osceola, Ind. / Penn), Robert Lewis Duke (Greentown, Ind. / Eastern) and Cody Verhey (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville) have provided contributions for the Thunder each of the past two seasons. Seniors Garrett Benedict (Greenfield, Ind. / Central) and Aaron Mast (Ligonier, Ind. / West Noble) also return with a wealth of experience.
Trine's placement in the MIAA will once again be determined by its performance in two races. The MIAA Jamboree (Sep. 24) counts one-third towards the league standings, with the conference championship race accounting for the remaining two-thirds.
The season opens Thursday at the Manchester University Hokum Karem. The race features pairs of runners running alternating miles as a tandem. Points are awarded based on the combined performance of each pair of runners.