In preparation for the Heartland Conference Championship, the Oklahoma Christian University men’s cross-country team took on a 10,000-meter race in the Chile Pepper Festival Sept. 30 in Fayetteville, AR.
“The Chile Pepper is a 10-kilometer race, which is the same distance as regionals and nationals,” Senior Kyle Broaddrick said. “This midseason preview at championship distance lets us see where we are at this point in the season. We prepared well for it and because of that, came away from the weekend feeling like we were in a good place at the moment and moving forward.”
The Eagles took 16th place in the 40-team competition with a team score of 459 and placed fifth among the Division II teams taking part in the event.
Broaddrick was the top finisher for Oklahoma Christian, taking 56th out of 330 runners with a time of 31:42.9.
Seniors Emory Lobley and Sisay Gillock were the other top finishers for the Eagles. Lobley finished in 111th at 32:50.8 and Gillock took 116th at 32:53.
Junior Jake Weith placed 117th in 32:54, sophomore Derek Espinoza took 127th in 33:00.1, freshman Caleb Bozarth finished in 134th at 33:07.4 and freshman Colton Meyers was 136th in 33:09.
Junior Trevor Talley placed 152nd in 33:25.2 and sophomore Kelton Reynolds took 176th with a time of 34:01 to round out the nine-man squad.
“Our next race is the last one before conference,” Broaddrick said. “That makes it one of the most important meets on our schedule. We just need to stay on top of training and keep improving.”
The Eagles will join the Lady Eagles Saturday, Oct. 7 to race in the Oklahoma Baptist Invitational in Shawnee, OK. Races start at 10:40 a.m.
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