Men's cross country
places second in GLIAC

By Trudy Chase
Collegian Senior Reporter

The competition was fierce as the Hillsdale men’s cross country team vied for a top position at the GLIAC Championships in Milford, Mich. on Saturday.

The Chargers placed second with 51 points, just a mere nine points behind first place Grand Valley State University.

Coming in a close third was last year’s GLIAC winner Ashland University, which tallied 60 points.

“GVSU and Ashland are tough,” senior Steve Larson said. “We were disappointed because it was so close and we wanted to win.”

Larson played a big part in the team’s finish, crossing the line at 25:04.8 minutes for the 8K, which landed him a second-place finish in the race.

Senior Randy Scherer and freshman Scott Kallgren finished not far behind Larson, earning eighth and tenth place finishes with times of 25:33.4 and 25:33.9.

Sophomore Kyle Fujimoto and junior Justin Perez completed the Chargers’ top five men, capturing the 15th and 16th places.

Although the men finished close together, they ran the race spread out. According to Fujimoto, it was not until the finish that the team packed up.

Three Chargers finished in the top 14 to earn All-Conference honors. Larson earned first place All-Conference, while Scherer and Kallgren achieved second place All-Conference.

Despite coming up short of their goal to win the GLIAC title, the men still hold a positive outlook for their chances at the regional meet on Nov. 9 in Jenison, Mich. After practicing for a 10K race all season, the extra 2K at the regional course will give the Chargers an opportunity to use their strength and endurance to their advantage.

“I think we will run better at regionals,” Larson said. “Our team is stronger at the 10K distance. The extra 2K will really help.”

“We are looking ahead and are really excited about our chances,” Fujimoto said, “especially because the 10K is what we have been training for.”

To advance to the NCAA national meet, which will be held at Ashland University on Nov. 23, Hillsdale must finish within the top two places at the regional meet.