Lions Post Strong Performance at Furman Invitational
The Mars Hill men’s cross country team finished in seventh place overall at the Furman Invitational on Saturday morning. The Lions were topped only by Mount Olive among Division II schools and beat NCAA Division I members Tulane, Western Carolina, College of Charleston and The Citadel.
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Mars Hill men's cross country team finished in seventh place overall at the Furman Invitational on Saturday morning. The Lions were topped only by Mount Olive among Division II schools and beat NCAA Division I members Tulane, Western Carolina, College of Charleston and The Citadel.
Alex Griggs led the Lions with a fourth place finish in the Collegiate NCAA Division II, III and NAIA class, crossing the line in 25:24.40. Derek Gibson followed Griggs in fifth (25:26.07). Nathan Jones finished in tenth place (25:59.59). Griggs and Gibson finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively, among Southeast Region runners with Jones securing a ninth place spot among regional runners.
"Individually, I felt amazing," Gibson said of his performance. "I got in a great flow and was able to push (Alex) Griggs late in the race. It's always special when you get to push the pace with a teammate. The team as a whole did great, we ran how we wanted to against the region competition today, and the season is still young."
Cesar Reyes crossed the line in 16th (26:43.89), followed by Garrett Farrimond in 24rd (27:07.71), Gil Gilreath in 28th (27:32.66) and Brandon Beard in 30th (27:38.56). Other finishers for the Lions were Chase Shermer, Daniel Lerner and Hunter Townsend.
Furman's Tanner Hinkle was the individual overall winner in 24:17.78. Ahmad Nesbitt of North Greenville was the Division II, III and NAIA winner, crossing the line in 24:46.64. Furman was the overall team winner with 21 points.
Mars Hill returns to action next Friday at the UNC Charlotte Invitational at 4:10 p.m.
