SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- The Trine men's cross country team placed third in the Bethel College Invitational, held Friday evening at St. Patrick's Park.

The Thunder earned 97 points in the 14-team race, which was made up mostly of performers from NAIA and NCCAA institutions. Trine was the only NCAA Division III participant in the race. Ricardo Castillo (Goshen, Ind./Goshen) was the top-performing Thunder runner for the first time in his career. The sophomore's 8K time of 26:24 was good enough for 12th overall. Over the course of three races this season, Castillo's 8K time has improved by over five minutes.

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Freshmen Kody Snyder (Burnettsville, Ind./Twin Lakes) and Nicholas Zak (St. John, Ind./Hanover Central) also turned in top-20 finishes. The runners finished just one second apart, with Snyder finishing just ahead of Zak in 26:31. Snyder placed 15th, while Zak placed 17th.

Collin Elek (Osceola, Ind./Penn) finished fourth among Thunder runners with a time of 26:44. Elek's performance earned the Thunder 24 points. Michael Becker (Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) rounded out Trine's top five as he finished in 26:55 to earn the team 29 points.

Trine will compete in the UW-Oshkosh AAE Invitational next Saturday, Oct. 17. The race will be held on the national championship course.