The men’s cross-country team took second at the Ray Bullock Invitational on Oct.10.
The meet took place at the Taylor University Farm, about 1.5 miles from campus. The course is known for its rolling hills. The Jarheads practice at the farm almost every Tuesday.
Senior Luke Harber said the team’s familiarity with the elevation gave them an advantage on the home “court”. Harber placed first overall with a time of 25:01. Senior Ryan Hanak placed second with a time of 25:05. The two seniors started in a pack with four other Jarheads, before making their move in the last mile.
“I didn’t look back,” Harber said. “I just kept looking towards home.”
His goal of winning the race came to fruition. With a small field of 11 teams, every place mattered. No. 5 Taylor looked to race No. 2 Indiana Wesleyan.
All scoring runners placed in the top 15. Junior Nathan Burns finished after Harber and Hanak, securing a ninth-place finish. Alex Ortiz and Jordan Burden completed the course in 13th and 14th. The top five brought the team to a score of 39.
The Trojans fell behind the Wildcats’ score of 32. Indianapolis trailed with a score of 68 for third place.
After the second-place finish, Taylor prepared for their last regular season meet at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Mich. Approximately 1,000 competitors ran the course on Oct. 25.
Aquinas College put on four races at the challenge. Both men and women were split into two color teams: maroon and white. Head coach Quinn White explained that the maroon race is for ranked teams, while white is for non-ranked runners and overflow from ranked teams.
The top 10 Jarheads competed in the maroon race, with several other top teams and individuals from the Midwest. Other Trojans competed in the white race, giving many of them an opportunity to compete in the front. White said the team focused on racing their competitors over individual time goals, because of weather changes.
“We hope to compete for the title with other top ranked teams,” White said.
The challenge marked another chance to race IWU. Harber expected a fast course, a fast team and fast individuals in Michigan.
“Last year was kind of a breakthrough,” Harber said. “It showed us (Harber and Hanak) we can race with some of the bigger individual names.”
Burns led the Trojans, placing eighth with a personal record of 24:32. Harber stamped a season-best of 24:35 in 13th place, while Hanak finished 22nd at 24:51. Nathan Meister and Ortiz completed the first five to break the 8k program record.
The team recorded 2:04:12. The previous record was 2:04:29, set in 2021. Indiana Wesleyan placed first for the maroon race with 79 points. Taylor held second with a score of 122.
Only championship races remain for this season, meaning the Trojans started their tapering process in practice. White said training consists of shorter reps and weekly mileage reduction now. Harber explained this as the “time of year where you start feeling good.”
The Jarheads’ next race is the Crossroads League Championships in Marion, Ind. The meet starts at 11 a.m. on Nov. 7.
