IRVING, Texas - The Southwestern University men's cross country team competed in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championship Saturday morning, hosted by the University of Dallas.

 

Southwestern earned fourth place in the SCAC competition with 124 points. The Colorado College men's cross country team won its second consecutive SCAC title with five runners finishing in the top 10. Trinity came in second, followed by Austin College in third place. Texas Lutheran, the University of Dallas and Schreiner placed fifth, sixth and seventh.

 

"Our guys are a resilient group, and they showed that in this championship. They went out and ran their best on this day, and made a big jump from 2019. I'm proud of the way each individual focused on their race and were intentional about getting better," says Head Coach Steven Cary.

 

Southwestern running prodigy Noah Dennis, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, finished in sixth place with a time of 27:01.10 in the 8K. Dennis is now tied for the third-highest finish in Southwestern program history at the SCAC championship meet. His spectacular performance landed him a place on the SCAC all-conference team.

 

"Noah ran an absolute stellar race. We've been talking about this meet since Colorado in 2019. He established himself today as one of the best runners in the SCAC right now. He's a force that the other men in this conference will have to reckon with for two more years. That's pretty awesome," says Cary.

 

Doug Ginsberg, who has significantly improved this 2021 season, finished the second-fastest for the Pirates, placing 22nd with a time of 28:48.10. CP Shaulis, who has always been a solid runner for the Pirates, placed in 31st with a time of 29:49.40. 

 

Nathan Botros (30:47.30), Vincent Kim (31:57.60), and Adrian Washington (32:16.00) placed 40th, 46th and 48th.

 

The Southwestern men's team ended the 2021 season on a high note, showing the raw talent and major improvements for a bright future.

 

"With still a young team, today's performance is only a glimpse of what this group is capable of moving forward. I'm really proud of the efforts today, but I'm equally as excited about what's to come," says Cary.