POWELL, OHIO -- The Trine University men's cross country team had four runners finish in the top-20, including one in the top-three, as the Thunder finished as runners up in the Ohio Wesleyan University Invitational in Powell, Ohio.
Trine finished 17 points behind event winner Otterbein University with 66 total points. The Cardinals took the team title with 49 points. John Carroll University rounded out the top-three schools with a combined total of 70 points.
The top overall time for the Thunder was turned in by senior Robert Lewis Duke (Greentown, Ind./Eastern) who placed third overall in a time of 25:45.3. Also placing in the top-20 were freshman Levi Neuzerling (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), junior Jonathan Phillips (Royal Center, Ind./Pioneer) and Colin Elek (Osceola, Ind./Penn).
Neuzerling placed just outside the top-10 in 11th place with a mark of 26:14.7. Phillips completed the 8k event in a time of 26:20.4 and placed 13th overall, while Elek finished just under seven seconds behind with a time of 26:27.2 and placed 18th.
Rounding out the runners who scored points for the team was sophomore Vilis Vuskalns (Indianapolis, Ind./Beech Grove) who ran a time of 26:29.4 which was good enough for 21st overall.
Trine also had four additional runners place in the top-30 in freshman Jack Beakas (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) who was 23rd, freshman Derek Miller (Shipshewana, Ind./Westview) placed 26th, junior Kody Snyder (Burnettsville, Ind./Twin Lakes) was 27th and fellow junior Jordan Zamarron (Ionia, Mich./Ionia) was 30th.
The Thunder men will travel to Holland, Mich. for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Jamboree hosted by Hope College on Saturday, Sept. 23. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
