RESULTS
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On a chilly, wet and windy Saturday morning, the Lee University men's cross country team culminated its season at the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championships. The Flames finished 28
th at the 10K distance.
Thirty-two teams and a minimum of 24 individuals were selected to participate in each race through an automatic qualifier and at-large selection process. In total, there were 249 runners in the men's race.
The Championships were held at Angle Mounds State Historic Site and co-hosted by the University of Southern Indiana and the Evansville Sports Corporation.
The Flames posted a team point total of 642 to record the best finish out the teams representing the South Region. Saint Leo University finished 30
th (754) and Alabama Huntsville (798) was 31
st. Adams State was the team champion with a team score of 44.
"Today was a less than satisfactory day," admitted Lee head coach Caleb Morgan. "We grossly underperformed. We'll accept our performance, rest up and get back to work."
Christian Noble was the first Lee runner across the finish line. The sophomore placed 117
th with a time of 33:09.0. James Ngandu of Tiffin University was the individual winner with a mark of 30:18.8.
Seth Eagleson was right behind at 33:11.2 to finish 120
th and Harold Smith stopped the clock at 33:49.7 (155
th). Moises Ponce was Lee's fourth runner. Ponce recorded a time of 33:55.4 (162
nd). Caleb Eagleson was the final Lee scorer. The freshman was 195
th overall with a time of 34:20.9.
The final two runners across the finish line for the Flames were Ben Gilman and Thomas Kelton. Gilman was 231
st (35:06.6) and Kelton placed 232
nd (35:08.4).
"Today was also the end of the two most phenomenal cross country careers in Lee University history (Harold Smith and Seth Eagleson)," added Morgan. "I'm very grateful for all that they've done for our program and am looking forward to seeing them continue to excel in everything that they do."
The indoor track & field season is set to begin on Jan. 21 at the Emory Crossplex Invitational. The meet will be held at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala.
