MOC has school-record effort at NCAA D2 men's cross country championships

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on November 25, 2013 1:47 PM

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SPOKANE, Wash. -- Mount Olive College had a school-record four runners place among the 246-competitor field during the season-ending NCAA Division II men's cross country national championships Saturday.

The Trojans placed a program-best 16th as a team.

Sophomore Dylan Lafond ended up 70th, which was the best-ever individual finish by a MOC runner. He ran the 10,000-meter course in 31 minutes, 45.4 seconds.

Aki Kitagawa finished 95th in 32:11.0.

Austin Steagall (32:18.9) was 102nd, followed by Stephen Greco (114th) and Erasmo Ordonez (33:06.8). Ordonez, the lone senior, is the first Trojan student-athlete in any sport to compete in a national championship in three consecutive years.

Jacob Urys was 186th and Eugenio Gil took 216th.

MOC compiled 463 team points.

Adams State (Colo.) successfully defended its national title and has won five of the last six national championship meets overall.

The Trojans will return six of its top seven runners next season.