CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Led by senior Ty Gleason, the Anderson men's cross country team finished fourth at the Queen City Invite, which was hosted by Queens University of Charlotte, Friday at McAlpine Creek Park.
The Trojans, who were ranked seventh in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) D-II Poll, held out several runners and competed with a limited squad. AU trailed just Augusta, Milligan and Flagler in the 42-team field, while out-distancing College of Charleston (6th), Western Carolina (7th), Furman (8th), Lenoir-Rhyne (10th), Coastal Carolina (15th), Mercer (16th), Citadel (18th), Queens (21st), Limestone (24th), Presbyterian (26th) and Gardner-Webb (33rd).
Gleason covered the 8k course in a time of 26:02 and finished 22nd, while sophomore Noah McLain (26:15) was just three seconds off his personal best and finished 29th. Freshman Michael Burgess slashed well more than a minute off his previous career best from two weeks ago and claimed 38th place in a time of 26:28.
Another sophomore, Thomas Sutcliffe, crossed the finish line in a time of 27:12 and claimed 69th place, with junior Ben Clark just behind in 71st place in a time of 27:14. Newcomer Noah Brock (27:39) trimmed nearly a minute off his previous career best effort and finished 96th.
"With the heat the way it was, we wanted to go out controlled and close hard," ," said Anderson head coach Kevin Eagle. "We had several surprises which is a good sign when we fully open up from the gun. Ty ran a smart race and really moved up on the field. Noah [Mclain] finished with one of his best performances as a Trojan and closed hard and placed high."
Following a two-week layoff, the Trojans will return to Charlotte for the Royals Cross Country Challenge on the McAlpine Creek Park course.
"Some teams beat us today because of strategy going in," added Eagle. "But we are in great shape moving towards our championship portion of the season."
