Mustangs compete among Midwest's top runners

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Morningside men's cross country team placed several runners in the top half of the field at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational on Saturday. Junior Eein McKinley led the Mustangs with a time of 26 minutes, 38 seconds over the 8,000-meter course, good for 104th place overall. 

Junior Eein McKinley led the Mustangs with a time of 26 minutes, 38 seconds over the 8,000-meter course, good for 104th overall. Fellow junior Parker Halder was close behind in 27:04, while senior Casey Kruger crossed in 28:02. Seniors RC Hicks (28:27) and Braden Sonksen (28:30) rounded out the scoring lineup, keeping the pack tight through the middle of the race.

In the "Gold" Division, McKinley (58th) and Halder (79th) both finished in the Top 100. 

Senior Mason Welker (28:55) and Austin Ramold (29:03) added depth, while Rodrigo Lopez ran 29:11 for 243rd. Freshman Blake Cerveny placed 264th in 30:02, senior Jose Lopez was 285th in 31:23, freshman Kael Hamann 293rd in 32:17, and freshman Kyle McDonald 310th in 34:32.

Morningside finished 20th with 566 points at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational on Saturday. The meet featured a deep field of NAIA, NCAA Division II and Division I programs, giving the Mustangs an early-season test against strong regional competition, including finishing ahead of NJCAA No. 1 ranked Iowa Western.