ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University men's cross country team has moved up four spots in the latest Great Lakes Regional rankings by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Trine was previously ranked eighth going into the 2018 season and is now ranked fourth. The Thunder are one of three Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association schools to be ranked with all three positioned in the top four. Calvin (Mich.) College and Albion (Mich.) College hold the top two spots with Calvin standing in the top position, followed by Albion as the second-ranked team.
The USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams' strength with current season results (if applicable) in determining a predicting finishing order at the NCAA Regional Championships.
Trine has competed in one event so far this season at the Wittenberg Invitational back on Aug. 31 which saw the Thunder take the team trophy out of seven teams.
The Thunder claimed first through fifth place individually with sophomore Derek Miller (Shipshewana, Ind./Westview) leading the Thunder through the 5K course with a top overal time of 16:08.4 out of 70 total competitors. Nicholas Zak (St. John, Ind./Hanover Central) was second overall and second on the team, crossing the finish line in a time of 16:19.7. Jack Beakas (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb), Jonathan Phillips (Royal Center, Ind./Pioneer), and Neil O'Brien (Whiteland, Ind./Roncalli) finished third, fourth, and fifth with marks of 16:22.4, 16:31.7 and 16:34.4 respectively.
Trine will next compete at the Manchester Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 15) at Blue River CC Course in Shelbyville, Ind. The men's race is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.