Bison Victorious at Home

SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist Men's Cross Country took first at the home meet today, ahead of East Central and No 16 ranked Dallas Baptist.
 
"The men had a good performance today with three in the top five," said Coach Mark Heard. "I'm proud of the men and the effort they gave today"
 
Jacob Janzen was first among collegiate athletes, at 26:06.75 in the 8k. Patrick Harris was second at 26:24.75, followed by DeAngelo Robles in fourth at 26:50.09.
 
"Jacob ran great, he went out with the lead pack and maintained pace with one of the best post-collegiate runners in the state of Oklahoma," said Heard. "He finished as the top collegiate in the field with a good time on a sloppy course."
 
The conditions of the course were not ideal, given the recent rainstorms in the area. Despite this, the Bison ran well.
 
"Patrick was very patient and moved up in position, overtaking some good athletes to finish right behind Jacob," said Heard. "DeAngelo made big gains in position as well, as he went from 20^th at the two mile to finish in fifth place."
 
Three Bison finished together in a pack, with Garrett Elmore in 11^th at 28:00.88, Nathan Crowson in 12^th at 28:04.62, and Chris Lobaugh in 13^th at 28:07.06. Jarrett Ellis was 19^th at 28:25.25 and Gerardo Tarango was 35^th at 30:16.94.
 
As a team, the Bison had a strong performance defending their home turf.
 
"The guys were determined to win at home today," said Heard. "To accomplish that objective was a rewarding experience."
 
Oklahoma Baptist was first with 30 points, followed by East Central in second at 57, and Dallas Baptist in third at 75. Butler was fourth at 76, with Southern Nazarene in fifth at 135, Hardin-Simmons in sixth at 169, Science & Arts in seventh at 204, and Ozark Christian College in eighth at 216.
 
"It's always nice to come away with a win," said Heard, "but we need to make improvements if we want to win a Conference title."
 
The Bison will be training hard between now and the conference meet. The Great American Conference Championship will be Oct. 21 in Magnolia, Arkansas.