GREENVILLE, S.C. – Led by junior Mason Hazel's seventh-place finish, the Anderson men's cross country team finished seventh among non-NCAA Division I schools at the fourth annual Furman Cross Country Classic, hosted by the Paladins Saturday morning at the Furman University Golf Course.
Competing in a field of 18 non-Division I NCAA collegiate teams, the Trojans improved two spots on their ninth-place finish from a year ago on the tough 8K course.
Hazel, who finished 20th in the event a year ago, trimmed 38 seconds off his time from last season and paced the Trojan effort for the third consecutive year in Greenville, while crossing the finish line in a time of 25:44.24.
Senior Ben Boerma (27:00.13) was faster than last season by more than 17 seconds and placed 35th, with senior Jesse Patrick (27:30.74) cutting more than 38 seconds from last year's effort en route to claiming 49th place. Freshman Luke Horne finished 58th after turning in a time of 27:46.49 and fellow newcomer Brooks Hovis was 62nd in a time of 27:50.56.
Sophomore John Drummond crossed the finish line in a time of 28:44.36, which was well over a minute faster than a year ago and finished 91st, with senior Michael Burch claiming 100th place in a time of 28:53.82. Senior Ned Kennedy was 116th in a time of 29:17.82.
In a preview of the NCAA Southeast Region Championships in early November, the Trojans will travel to Montevallo, Ala., next Saturday for the Falcon Classic.
