Three Lions Place in Top 50 at Louisville Classic

LOUISVILLE, KY.-- Three members of Mars Hill's men's cross country team placed in the top 50 at the Louisville Classic, held Saturday morning at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park.

Alex Griggs (24th), Derek Gibson (44th) and Nathan Jones (46th) turned in strong performances to pace Lion runners in Blue Seeded race at the meet. The race was the site of the 2012 NCAA Division I National Championships. The Blue Seeded race included runners from Division I, Division II and NAIA institutions. Nearly 300 runners representing 44 institutions competed.

Griggs ran a time of 26:16.42 to finish 26th overall. He finished ahead of the top runners from several Division I schools competing in the race. Griggs improved upon last season's 40th-place finish at the same race.

Gibson ran a 26:40.19 to finish 44th overall, while Jones finished just one second behind in 46th. Jones ran the 9th-best time by a freshman in the Blue Seeded group.

Brady Adcock and Cesar Reyes also turned in sub-28:00 times on the 8,000 meter course.

Mars Hill will compete in the Royals Pre-Region Challenge in Charlotte on Oct. 11.