Lions run strong as a pack at Fire Tower Project

BOONE, N.C. - The Mars Hill men's cross country team finished a strong 2nd place among Division II competition and placed eighth overall at the Fire Tower Project race, hosted by Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina on Friday evening over the 8k race distance. The Lions continue to be led by a strong pack of six runners made up of five freshman runners and one returning runner.

With a strong pack showing, the Lions ran six runners deep for 5k of the 8k race distance with Sean Sanchez, Eli Taylor, Braxton Cummings, Sawyer Cripps, Brandon McNulty, and Matthew O'Connor all making their presence known. After passing a crowd of people while climbing the big hill and splitting up the pack, freshman Sanchez came out on top for the Lions in his first ever race attempt on the 8k distance in a time of 26:46. Fellow freshman Taylor finished just three seconds behind Sanchez, in a time of 26:49 while also in his first ever 8k race. 

Just a short distance behind, Cripps also dipped under 27 minutes in his first 8k race with a time of 26:57 and Cummings came in at 27 minutes even with a nearly 40 second personal record on the 8k distance from last season. Freshman McNulty rounded out the top five scoring for Mars Hill in a time of 27:19 to keep the Top 5 split time at an excellent 33 seconds. 

With these times in their initial attempt on the 8k race distance, freshmen Sanchez, Taylor, and Cripps have etched their names into the vaunted Mars Hill Men's Cross Country Top 25 Freshman 8k record board in positions 18, 20, and 24, respectively and they look to advance higher on the record board throughout the season.

Thoughts from Coach Benge:

"The men showed a great example of pack running yet again this evening with six runners in the lead pack through 6k and followed by another group of five Lions. This strong pack running can be seen all the way through the finish line with the 33 second gap in the top 5 runners. Each runner was able to work through the pack and pass multiple people in the second half and last mile of the race. This is a sign of great pacing and better times to come in future races. It was especially exciting to see three freshmen have 27 minute 8k races in their first attempt at the distance to enter the Mars Hill Cross Country Men's 8k Freshman Leaderboard! With freshmen continuing to fill six of the top seven positions on the team, the future of the team is very strong. Keep an eye on the Hill!"

To view the full list of times, please click here.

The Mars Hill men's cross country team next competes at the Maryville College XC Invitational on Friday, September 27. That race is being held in Maryville, Tennessee and is set for a 4 p.m. start.