The Park University cross country program again was extremely close to a team qualification to the NAIA National Championship meet after another 2
nd place finish at the Seminole Valley Cross Country Course in the Heart Conference Championship.
Park averaged a 25:44 as a team, the lowest as a group this season and in recent memory for the Pirates men's cross country team. It in fact, this performance is reminiscent of the 2011 Park men's cross country team, led by 2022 Wall of Honor recipient Daniel Tubei, that ran for an average 25:59 in the National Championship.
It was definitely a special performance filled with seven personal records. Park raced against a veteran field of competitors and the host school Mount Mercy University earned its first-ever Heart Championship and team qualification to nationals by a difference of 12 points. The Pirates had two freshman,
Cayden Walker and Palmer O'Connor as the two fastest freshman at the conference meet.
Leading the pack for the Pirates were the two Heart First Team All-Conference performers,
Lukas Mehl and
Cayden Walker. Both put up their best times of their collegiate careers. Mehl crossed for 5
th place in a time of 25:05 and Walker was a second off in 6
th place for a 25:06. Both Mehl and Walker have qualified for the 2024 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship in Columbia, Mo. at Gans Creek Cross Country Course on November 22 at 10:30am.
NAIA Qualifier Release
O'Connor came in next in 17
th with a 25:47, followed by
Tom Kuehnel at 25:49 for 21
st.
All of Park's top five runners are either freshman or sophomores, as AJ Vega placed 32
nd in a time of 26:40.
Thore Wegner and
William Norris rounded out the first seven spots for Park in 34
th and 37
th with times of 26:45 and 26:49, respectively.
See the remaining results below:
Results
#ParkUNation
