ALBION, Mich. -- The Trine men's cross country team placed third in the MIAA Championship, held Saturday on the rolling hills of Tomac Woods Golf Course.
The performance enabled the Thunder to leap ahead of Hope and finish third in the MIAA standings for the second consecutive year. Trine entered the Championship in fourth place in the conference following the team's performance in the MIAA Jamboree. The Championship results make up two-thirds of the final MIAA standings, while the Jamboree makes up the final third. Paced by an All-MIAA performance by senior Adam Schaaf (Greentown, Ind. / Eastern), Thunder runners combined to score 106 points and average a time of 27:11.1 on the 8K course.
Schaaf was at his best once again today as the senior placed fifth to earn the second All-MIAA First Team honors of his career. Schaaf became the first Trine runner to earn two such honors since the Thunder joined the conference in 2004. Schaaf's crossed the finish line in 26:07.5. He was the second-best senior performer in the Championship. He earned top-five finishes in both MIAA events this fall.
Senior Aaron Mast (Ligonier, Ind. / West Noble) came through with a big performance in his final MIAA meet to place second among Thunder runners. Mast's time of 27:14.8 scored the Thunder 22 points with a 25th-place finish. Lewis Duke (Greentown, Ind. / Eastern) finished just behind, scoring 23 points with a time of 27:20.3.
Jordan Zamarron (Ionia, Mich. / Ionia) and Cody Verhey (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville) rounded out Trine's top five with 27 and 29 points respectively. Zamarron, a sophomore, crossed the finish line in 27:36.1. Verhey finished just a step behind, as the junior notched a time of 27:36.6. Both runners provided key points in edging ahead of Hope's final two runners.
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Trine returns to action Saturday, Nov. 12 when the Thunder will compete in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional. The Regional meet will be hosted by Hope College at West Ottawa Golf Club in Holland, Mich. The men's race is slated to begin at Noon.
