ANGOLA, IND.-- The Trine men's cross country team will be seeking their highest conference finish since 2007 when they compete in the MIAA Championship race this Saturday at Calvin College.

A fourth-place finish in the MIAA Jamboree at Kalamazoo has the Thunder poised to finish in the top half of the conference for the first time since a second-place finish in 2007. The Jamboree counts one-third towards the final MIAA standings, while the MIAA Championship makes up the remaining two-thirdst. Last year, the Thunder tied for sixth in the Jamboree, and placed fifth in the Championship race to lock up a fifth-place finish. The top seven runners from each team are eligible to score in the MIAA Championship race.

Steady improvement from a young core of runners has been a theme for the Thunder this season. Every runner that has finished among Trine's top five this season has been a freshman or sophomore. Each Thunder runner to finish among the team's top-five has improved their 8K time by over one minute over the course of the season.

Adam Schaaf (Greentown, Ind./Eastern) has consistently turned in Trine's top time. The sophomore earned MIAA Runner of the Week honors for his performance in the Small States Division at the Indiana Intercollegiate (Sept. 19). Schaaf placed fifth overall in the MIAA Jamboree at Kalamazoo, and is expected to contend for a spot on the All-MIAA teams.

Other runners expected to help the Thunder earn points include sophomore Austin Ganger (Mishawaka, Ind./Penn) and Aaron Mast (Ligonier, Ind./West Noble), and freshmen Sean Brady (Monroe, Mich./Monroe), Robert Lewis Duke (Greentown, Ind./Eastern), Collin Elek (Osceola, Ind./Penn), Zachary Phillips (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) and Cody Verhey (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville).

Saturday's men's championship race begins at 11 a.m. this Saturday on the campus of Calvin College.

For directions and parking information, CLICK HERE.