Trojans Run to 15th-Place Finish at NAIA Nationals

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Taylor men's cross country team posted its fastest time of the season en route to a 15th-place finish at the NAIA National Championships on Saturday.

"We had a fantastic finish at the national meet," reflected head coach Lance Vanderberg. "It is very exciting to place in the top-15, after not competing at this meet since 1999. This is a big day for our program."

Taylor's Matt Hall capped his strong sophomore campaign with a 52nd-place finish, posting a time of 25:56 on the Rim Rock Farm course to lead the Trojans for the fourth-consecutive race.

Seniors Ethan Evans and Zach Warner each turned in season-best performances in the final cross country meet of their careers. Evans, who finished 169th at last year's National Championships, posted a time of 26:34 to finish in 109th place. Warner was closely behind Evans, finishing in 113th with his season-best performance of 26:36.

TU freshman Stephen Cho posted a time of 26:43 as the Trojans fourth runner, finishing in 130th place, while sophomore Aaron Scott posted a personal-best time of 26:51 to claim 149th in the field and round out the scoring for the Trojans. Senior Scott King posted a time of 27:32 to cross the finish line in 232nd place and TU freshman Tyler Koteskey clocked a time of 27:43 to finish in 243rd place.

The 15th-ranked Trojans' top-five runners posted a team time of 132:41, the best mark for the Trojans all season.

"The team displayed great focus throughout the race while embracing the challenge in front of them," added Vanderberg.

Top-ranked Oklahoma City claimed the team title with a total of 55 points, while Southern Oregon finished as the runner-up with 113.

Wayland Baptist's Benard Keter finished the race in 24:36 to claim the individual championship, followed by DJ Flores from Eastern Oregon (24:41) and Peter Koskey from Oklahoma Baptist (24:44.20).

The race marked the end of the collegiate cross country careers for TU's four seniors, Evans, King, Warner and Jared Reed. The group helped the Trojans to back-to-back second-place finishes at the Crossroads League Championships, their first team appearance at NAIA Nationals in 15 years and the highest team ranking since the 2000 season.

Taylor ends the 2014 campaign with an overall record of 85-13 and is set to return 17 individuals for the 2015 season, including four of TU's top-seven performers at Nationals.

Vanderberg concluded, "We strived to glorify God with our efforts, while competing on the biggest stage of the season. It was also the final race for our seniors, who have had a dynamic impact on the progress of our program."