Lions run at Live in Lou Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Mars Hill men's cross country team continued their 2023 campaign at the Live in Lou Classic at E.P Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky with an 8k race.

The Live in Lou Classic is historically considered the largest collegiate cross country race on the East Coast, with the 2023 edition of this race featuring over 140 teams from all collegiate divisions. The Mars Hill men's cross country team finished in 31st place in the Silver Division race. 

Continuing his strong freshman season, Kelvin Kiprop led the Lions and received a "Top 25 Award" with his 14th place finish and a new personal best time of 26:12.9. The second Lion to cross the line was freshman Gabe Hunt, who finished with a new personal best time of 28:02.3. The third and fourth scorers for the Lions were Maliki Pope, who finished with a time of 28:41.3, and Braxton Cummings, who finished with a time of 29:44.5. To round out scoring for the men's team was freshman Brandon Wright, who finished with a new personal best time of 29:46.2. 

Thoughts from Coach Benge:

"The approach the men took in this large field of over 300 runners resulted in a less-than-ideal first mile, and some poor race positioning in the early stages. Despite this setback in such an intense environment, I am proud of all the guys for fighting and staying focused all the way to the finish line, which led to four guys coming away with new personal best times. Every guy on the team moved up many positions in the race during the second half, which is exactly what we are training to execute. This "2nd half running" will come in clutch in the championship races over the next month." 

To view the full list of results, please click here.

The Mars Hill cross country teams race next at the Royals XC Challenge at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, October 6th.