The T24th nationally ranked Park  University men's cross country program made a run at the 2025 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship in Tallahassee, Fla. on Saturday at Apalachee Regional Park. The Pirates held true to their nationally ranking and placed 25th as a team on 550 points.

Indiana Wesleyan University took home the National Championship trophy on 117 points in the 8k, edging The Master's University by nine points.

For Park, this is the third team appearance in the NAIA National Championship, going back to 2011 and 2013 as the previous qualifications. 

Park was coming off of a Heart Title for their automatic bid into the big race and the team had just earned personal record after personal record in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on November 8.

Cayden Walker led Park with an 83rd place finish. The sophomore and the only Pirate to run in back-to-back NAIA National Championship events, last year and this year, ran a 25:45.4.

Caden Peters, the Heart Individual Champion, ran a 25:51 for 91st as well.

Palmer O'Connor was among a big pack in the field that finished 15 seconds after at 26:06 for 122nd. 

The freshman, Jakob Johnston contributed a 26:32 time for 189th place, immediately followed by Tom Kuehnel. Kuehnell took 195th with a 26:35.

William Norris took 215th in a sub 27 minute time of 26:46.

Cody Hammond, another freshman, closed out Park's seven runners with 240th with a time of 27:05.

It's been a steady climb for the Park men's cross country program, returning to its conference and national prominence in 2025, led by the 2025 Heart Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, Rikki Hacker, and assistant coach Laura Padgett.
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