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Park Men’s Cross Country Places Fourth at Great Lakes Challenge

Isaac Rivera leads the Pirates with a seventh-place individual finish as Park places four runners in the top 42 at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge

10/25/2026 1:59:00 PM

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Park University men's cross country turned in a strong team performance at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge on Saturday, finishing fourth in the Men's 8K Maroon race with 163 points.

The Pirates placed four runners among the top 42 finishers and had all five scoring runners finish within 49.1 seconds of one another. Park recorded a combined time of 2:04:53.50, averaging 24:58.70 across its top five runners.

Rivera Leads the Pirates

Sophomore Isaac Rivera paced Park, finishing seventh overall in 24:28.50. Rivera was the first Pirate across the line and earned a top-10 finish in a competitive field featuring runners from more than 20 institutions.

Junior Caden Peters followed in 25th place with a time of 24:51.20. Sophomore Canyon Buehler finished 37th in 25:05.30, while sophomore Levi Allen crossed in 42nd at 25:11.00.

Freshman Brayden Walker rounded out Park's scoring five, finishing 52nd in 25:17.60. The group's close spread helped the Pirates secure fourth place in the team standings.

Close Pack Helps Park Finish Fourth

Park's five scoring runners finished less than 50 seconds apart, with Rivera's seventh-place result establishing the team's leading performance. Peters, Buehler and Allen all finished in the top 42, giving the Pirates four runners inside the top 42 overall.

Cayden Walker added a 58th-place finish in 25:21.60, and Connor Burkdoll placed 72nd in 25:30.50, providing additional depth for Park.

The Pirates finished behind Madonna, Marian (Indiana) and College of Idaho. Madonna won the team competition with 32 points, followed by Marian with 117 and College of Idaho with 126. Park's 163 points put it ahead of Indiana Wesleyan, which scored 175.

Individual Results

Park's top seven finishers were:

Place Runner Time
7 Isaac Rivera 24:28.50
25 Caden Peters 24:51.20
37 Canyon Buehler 25:05.30
42 Levi Allen 25:11.00
52 Brayden Walker 25:17.60
58 Cayden Walker 25:21.60
72 Connor Burkdoll 25:30.50

Goshen freshman Jesse Songo won the individual race in 24:07.10, finishing ahead of Madonna's Mehdi Nait Hamoud, who clocked 24:09.30. Marian's Tristan Trevino placed third in 24:15.70.

Team Standings

  1. Madonna — 32 points

  2. Marian (Ind.) — 117 points

  3. College of Idaho — 126 points

  4. Park — 163 points

  5. Indiana Wesleyan — 175 points

  6. Goshen — 226 points

  7. St. Francis (Ill.) — 228 points

  8. Indiana East — 229 points

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