TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Seniors
Ryan Russell and
Ben Neff finished 52nd and 224th, respectively, out of 293 runners to finish off their Union College cross country careers at the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships, held at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course on Saturday afternoon.
Russell finished the 8K course in 24:53.5, coming seven seconds and 12 places short of All-America honors. His time is the fastest ever by a Union runner at an NCAA Championship and is the fifth-fastest overall in program history, giving him each of the top-five spots on the school 8K list.
The senior did not change his strategy despite the field going out with a very fast opening kilometer, sitting back in 222nd place with an opening 2:48.8. He made his big move over the next 3K, moving up into 176th place at the 2K mark and then vaulting into 83rd place at the midway point with a time of 12:20.6 at the 4K checkpoint. He improved his position at each of the next three checkpoints as well, jumping 26 more spots at the 5K mark and reaching as high as 44th with about a mile to go. He closed the final 1.5K in 4:39.4 to take 52nd place and finish in the top-fifth of the field.
Neff finished the race in 25:57.4, the third-fastest time recorded by a Union runner at an NCAA Championship race. After starting in 271st position after the opening kilometer, Neff made his biggest move over the next 1,000 meters, jumping up 27 spots into 244th place. After a steady next 3K, he moved up nine spots at the 5.6K checkpoint and remained there at the four-mile mark, before closing with a time of 4:47.1 over the final 1,500 meters to move up 15 more spots into 224th place.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Christian Patzka made a late charge to take the individual national title in 24:01.6, while the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse captured the team national championship with an impressive 77 points, 96 points clear of runner-up Wartburg College.
The NCAA Championship completes the record-setting cross country careers of Russell and Neff, who will graduate with a combined nine of the top-11 8K times and two of the top-three 6K times in program history as well as three of the program's five USTFCCCA All-Region honors. The seniors will turn their attention back to track & field, where they own a combined four program records with one year left to run.
