Eighth-Ranked Trojan Men Break Through in Season-Opening Win
MARION, Ind. – For the first time since the Crossroads League Championships in 2021, the No. 8 Taylor men's cross country team defeated every team in the field with its season-opening win at the Indiana Wesleyan Twilight Invitational on Friday evening.
Three top-10 performances paced the Trojans, as Joel Mumaw claimed TU's fastest time of the meet, coming in at a new personal-best 25:16.6 to take sixth in the 8k race.
Just behind Mumaw were Nathan Burns and Luke Harber, who placed eighth and 10th, respectively, with times of 25:18.7 and 25:19.7.
Ryan Hanak clocked a 25:29.2 to finish 13th overall, while Jared Stayte, Ethan Morgan, Bryce Noble and Zach McWatters all found their way inside the top 50 out of 278 total runners with times under 26:30.0 – a time that freshman Nathan Meister ran on the dot to take 57th.
Taylor totaled 62 points in the IWU Invite, beating out No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan (79 points) and No. 25 Rio Grande (95 points), who finished second and third in the 22-team competition. Fellow Crossroads League competitors, RV Grace and No. 23 Marian, grabbed the fifth and eighth best scores, respectively.
The Trojans (21-0) run next at the Mizzou Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Missouri, on Sept. 27.
