CBU Men's Cross Country Began Season With Success

MORENO VALLEY>> California Baptist University hit the road Sept. 10 for the first time this year and competed in the Biola Invitational - held at Ted Craig Regional Park. The Lancers looked to continue their success, despite resting some of their top runners. Out of 21 teams participating, CBU took second overall, right behind first-place Claremont-Mudd-Scripps - who won the NCAA Division III West Regional Championship last year and took seventh overall at the DIII Championship. Ken Kipkorir led the Lancers with a second-plash finish out of 190 runners, with a final time of 24 minutes, 22.76 seconds. He said it gives the reigning PacWest Freshman of the Year great confidence heading forward. "We had a lot of bright spots," said head coach Ben Gall. "I think Ken's race is really encouraging for our team in terms of postseason; we're really relying on him to make a big jump this year. There's a lot we can take from that in terms with his aggressiveness and the way he handled himself." "I think this experience was good, the more we race, the more experience we get," Kipkorir added. "I hope to correct the mistakes I made today and improve for next time." Dennis Messmer was not far behind Kipkorir, taking seventh with a posted time of 24:44.68. Jeremiah Gotts was in the mix too, taking 20th overall with a time of 25:15.36. "It was good to the see the team really work together, knowing we didn't really have our full squad there," Gotts said. "To know that we have a deep enough team and can still take care of business without full strength was great to see." Jonah Ross was just steps off Gotts, clocking in at 25:16.37. James Atwell rounded out the top five runners with a time of 25:40.30, finishing the final stretch with a kick that kept him in front of a CMS runner by .09 seconds. CBU looks to keep pace as it strives to win its sixth-straight conference title toward the end of October. The Lancers keep it local at the Coyote Invitational Sept. 24.