Colorado College Earns First SCAC Men’s Cross Country Title Since 2011

Colorado College Earns First SCAC Men’s Cross Country Title Since 2011

BOERNE, Texas – Behind the performance of three-time SCAC Runner-of-the-Year Nick Hall, Colorado College earned its first SCAC men's cross country championship since 2011 and fifth overall Saturday morning at a muddy Boerne City Lake Park course. Team Results Individual Results | Official Website | Facebook Photo Album

Colorado College, which finished just one point behind defending champion Trinity University a year ago, earned the 2014 title with 30 team points - eight clear of Trinity which finished with 38 points. For the second consecutive year, the University of Dallas was third with 97 points.

A couple of first-year programs made impressive debuts at this year's championship meet. Texas Lutheran University finished fourth with 109 points and Austin College placed fifth with 155 points.

Rounding out the team standings, Southwestern University was sixth with 165 points, Schreiner University was seventh with 186 points and Centenary College was eighth with 205 points. 

CC's Hall became just the fourth man to earn three SCAC Runner-of-the-Year honors in a career and only the third to win three in a row. He is the second straight Colorado College to accomplish the feat, following his former teammate, Jackson Brainerd, who earned the honor each year from 2009 to 2011. Hall finished the 8K course, which had absorbed three inches of rain from the following morning, in a time of 26:37.09 - almost 50 seconds ahead of the field.

Following Hall, sophomores Ryan Bing finished third (27:48.99) and Conor Terhune finished seventh (28:15.22) while juniors Tucker Hampson was eighth (28:18.47) and Jacob Rothman was 11th (28:55.67). Senior Sam English rounded out the Tigers' six all-conference performances with a 12th-place finish (28:31.19). 

Trinity was led by junior Taylor Piske, who earned his second-straight runner-up finish at the conference meet - coming in this year with a time of 27:25.73. Freshman Michael Erickson placed fourth (27:57.44) and earned SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors by virtue of his top finish among first-year runners. Sophomore Austin Brown was fifth in a tme of 27:58.24.

Junior Christian Soto (28:48.95) and freshman Daniel Henkes (28:54.32) finished 13th and 14th, respectively, to round out the Tigers' all-conference performers.

Junior Ryan McAnany of the University of Dallas posted the highest individual finish among the non Colorado and Trinity runners, finishing sixth in a time of 28:06.82. Senior Chris Burke of Austin College paced the 'Roos with a ninth-place finish in 28:23.42, and junior Alex Medrano of Southwestern University finished 10th in a time of 28:26.19.

2014 Men's Cross Country All-Conference Team
1. Nick Hall, Colorado College - 26:37.09
2. Taylor Piske, Trinity University - 27:25.73
3. Ryan Bing, Colorado College - 27:48.99
4. Michael Erickson, Trinity University - 27:57.44
5. Austin Brown, Trinity University - 27:58.24
6. Ryan McAnany, University of Dallas - 28:06.82
7. Conor Terhune, Colorado College - 28:15.22
8. Tucker Hampson, Colorado College - 28:18.47
9. Chris Burke, Austin College - 28:23.42
10. Alex Medrano, Southwestern University - 28:26.19
11. Jacob Rothman, Colorado College - 28:28.60
12. Sam English, Colorado College - 28:31.19
13. Christian Soto, Trinity University - 28:48.95
14. Daniel Henkes, Trinity University - 28:54.32 

After the race, SCAC Assistant Commissioner James Hill caught up with Colorado College's Hall and Trinity's Erickson, as well as Colorado College head coach Ted Castaneda.

To watch an interview with the 2014 SCAC Runner Runner of the Year, Nick Hall of Colorado College, click here.

To watch an interview with Newcomer of the Year, Michael Erickson of Trinity University, click here.

To watch an interview with Colorado College head coach Ted Castaneda, click here.