Mars Hill places third at Bruins XC Night Classic
The Mars Hill men's cross country team placed third at the Bruins XC Night Classic, ran at Bob Jones University.
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Mars Hill men's cross country team began their 2023 campaign with a strong showing at the Bruins XC Night Classic at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. The men's team finished a close 3rd on the tail of the top two scoring teams over the 6k race distance.
Two freshmen led the charge for the Lions in their first time in the Mars Hill jersey. Freshman Kelvin Kiprop was the top placing Lion, placing third overall with a time of 20:32.5. The second Lion finisher was fellow freshman Gabriel Hunt who finished sixth overall with a time of 21:17.0. To round out scoring for the men's team, the next three Lions executed great pack running during the race and finished in close succession in 12th, 14th, and 15th. In his first race for Mars Hill, graduate student Maliki Pope placed 12th with a time of 21:50.3, followed closely by sophomore Diell Mehmedi in 21:59.4 and freshman Brandon Wright in 22:03.1.
Thoughts from Coach Benge:
"It was encouraging to see the men's team execute great pack running throughout the race - all the way until the finish. We will continue to practice and execute this strategy as the team grows stronger with each practice and race. I love that we had three freshmen and one sophomore in the top five scoring positions, which is very exciting for the future of the team!"
To view the full list of results, please click here.
The Mars Hill cross country teams race next at the Covered Bridge Open in Boone, North Carolina on Friday, September 15.
