KERRVILLE, Texas – The Trinity University men won their second straight SCAC men's cross country title and third in four years Saturday morning on the campus of Schreiner University. Individual Results | Team Scores | Official Website | Facebook Photo Album
In the closest finish since 2013, Trinity defeated Colorado College by six points (35-41). The Tigers were led by senior Elliot Blake, who earned SCAC Runner of the Year honors with a 25:34.28 finish - the 18th fastest 8K championship time in league history. Blake's title represents the sixth time a Trinity man earned SCAC Runner-of-the-Year honors and the first since Taylor Piske earned the award in 2015.
Three more Trinity runners earned All-SCAC honors as sophomore Harry Bellow finished second (26:08.53), sophomore Keaton Holt was seventh (26:34.28) and senior Brian Wongchotigul was 10th (26:44.89).
The title is the fifth overall for the Trinity men's cross country program (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017).
Colorado College placed a league-high six runners in the top 14 to earn all-conference honors. Junior Tony Calderon was fourth (26:21.18), junior Jack Williams was fifth (26:23.57), senior David Eik was ninth (26:44.20), junior Adam Mahler was 11th (26:48.41), sophomore Paul Olsen was 12th (26:55.62) and freshman Josh Fry was 13th (27:02.01).
Trinity's Wongchotigul and Colorado College's Eik became just the 20th and 21st men's cross country student-athletes to earn All-SCAC honors four consecutive years.
Fry earned SCAC Newcomer of the Year honors with his 13th place finish - making him the fourth CC Tiger to earn SCAC Men's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year and the first since Peter Callan earned the honor in 2016.
Johnson & Wales University Denver, running in its first-ever SCAC conference meet, finished third in 93, Southwestern University was fourth with 104 points, and Austin College tied its best-ever team finish at the SCAC meet coming in fifth with 149.
Rounding out the team standings, University of Dallas was sixth with 162 points, Texas Lutheran University finished seventh with 164 points and Schreiner University, the host school, placed eighth with a score of 219.
2018 Men's Cross Country All-Conference Team
1. Elliot Blake, Trinity University - 25:34.28
2. Harry Bellow, Trinity University - 26:07.53
3. Alberto Rodriguez, Johnson & Wales Denver - 26:15.55
4. Tony Calderon, Colorado College - 26:21.18
5. Jack Williams, Colorado College - 26:23.57
6. John Hattan, Southwestern University - 26:27.59
7. Keaton Holt, Trinity University - 26:34.28
8. Caleb Calderon, Texas Lutheran University - 26:39.57
9. David Eik, Colorado College - 26:44.20
10. Brian Wongchotigul, Trinity University - 26:44.89
11. Adam Mahler, Colorado College - 26:48.41
12. Paul Olsen, Colorado College - 26:55.62
13. Josh Fry, Colorado College - 27:02.01
14. Josh Im, Southwestern University - 27:03.48