SEARCY, Ark. – The Harding’s men’s cross country team won its third Great American Championship title in program history as they edged out Oklahoma Baptist and East Central on Saturday at the Harding University Cross Country Course.
RESULTS
ALL-GAC TEAMS
The Bisons’ tandem of Dylan Douglas and Luke Walling spearheaded the title run as they produced the fifth 1-2 finish for teammates in league history. Douglas beat Walling to the line by only eight-tenths of a second, the second-narrowest finish ever, to become the GAC’s first three-time individual champion. Douglas garnered the GAC’s Runner of the Year; Walling won Freshman of the Year and Don Hood earned Coach of the Year.
Jackson Pruim followed up his third-place finish as the Spring Championship by crossing in fifth. Dylan Mayberry claimed 10
th as the fourth member of the Bisons to earn First-Team All-GAC honors.
The Bisons became the second program, and third team, to win as the meet host. East Central won in Ada, Oklahoma in both 2012 and 2014. The four-point win represented the second-closest margin of victory in league history. Oklahoma Baptist won the 2019 title by just two points.
Oklahoma Baptist’s five scoring runners finished in the top 13. Maxmillian Wheeler, Jack Reed and Noah Eskew earned top-10 finishes while Parker Ables crossed in 11
th followed by Blake Cope in 13
th and Drake Wagner in 19
th. East Central’s Carson Sandvik and Drew Wiles took third and fourth to lead the Tigers. Edward Njuguna, Jakaveon Shaw and Emmanuel Bett added top-16 results.
In its first GAC Championship meet in program history, Ouachita placed fourth, followed by Southern Arkansas and Northwestern Oklahoma State. Whit Lawrence led the Tigers as he finished in eighth followed by Cade Swindle in 17
th.
Southern Arkansas finished fifth, followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Muleriders’ Carlos Armendariz and Jamie Quinones plus the Rangers’ Victor Kibet finished inside the top 20.
Southern Nazarene and Arkansas-Monticello rounded out the team competition.
The top 10 runners earned First-Team All-GAC honors while finishers 11 through 20 placed on the All-GAC Second Team.
The league also recognized its Elite and Distinguished Scholar Athletes. ECU’s Sandvik and Denzel Vilsaint, Harding’s Kendall Townsley, and Oklahoma Baptist’s Blake Cope all garnered the Elite Scholar honor.
Oklahoma Baptist’s Parker Ables and Avery Hanna, Harding’s Paxton Davis, Ouachita’s Andrew Tarleton, Southern Arkansas’ Briston Rains and Southern Nazarene’s Christian Escritt all claimed the Distinguished Scholar accolade.