GREENVILLE, S.C. - Led by freshman Mason Hazel's 35th-place finish, the Anderson University men's cross country team finished 17th overall and ninth among non-Division I teams at the second annual Furman Cross Country Classic on Saturday at the Furman University Golf Course in Greenville, S.C.
"Today was sort of a mixed bag for us," said Anderson head coach Randy Greer. "It was the first 6K and 8K for the freshmen and the course was much more difficult than last year. I think we had some people that had really good days and others that did not have as good a day as last week. Overall, I feel we are moving in the right direction we just need to keep working."
The 8K event was evenly split, featuring nine Division I schools and nine non-Division I squads, including a trio of South Atlantic Conference teams. The host Paladins captured the title, outpacing the rest of the field, with Mt. Olive capturing second overall.
Mars Hill was second among non-Division I teams, while King, Emory and West Florida were next, followed by Wingate, Limestone, North Greenville and Anderson.
Hazel claimed the 35th spot in a time of 27:39.05, while graduate student Westley Wilson earned 50th in a time of 28:16.32. Sophomore Ben Boerma (29:14.16) was 63rd, with fellow sophomore Ned Kennedy (29:36.23) crossing the line in 72nd.
Sophomore Jesse Patrick collected the 79th spot in a time of 29:55.09, with senior Joshua Visi-Clark garnering 80th in a time of 29:58.29. Sophomore Michael Burch (30:03.67) rounded out the Trojan contingent in 82nd.
Following a two-week layoff, the Trojans return to action at the Charlotte Invitational on Friday, Sept. 26.
