Full Results
BUFFALO, N.Y. (10/17/2015) -- Sophomore
Ben Kendell was just edged in his quest for his first collegiate victory as the University of Detroit Mercy men's cross country team earned third at the Canisius Alumni Classic on Saturday.
Kendell's 24:48 led four Titans to top-15 finishes in the 8k race at Delaware Park in upstate New York. He was in the front pack for the entire race and was leading until the end when Canisius' Chad Maloy just squeezed by him by one second.
Senior
Derek Gielarowski was 10th in 25:28, three seconds off a PR, while senior
Colin Creagh was 13th in 25:43 and fellow senior
Austin Wigent tallied a career mark taking 15th in 25:50.
As a team, the Titans totaled 63 points, 16 behind Canisius and 38 away from first-place Cornell.
The race was the last regular season event for Detroit as it will look for its third-straight title when the red, white and blue next competes in the Horizon League Championship on Halloween, Oct. 31, at the Elvin R King Cross Country Course in Cedarville, Ohio.
THE FINISH LINESO CLOSE- Ben Kendell recorded his fourth top-10 finish of the season and the eighth in 11 career races, but he was just one second away from winning his first collegiate race.
- It was also his fifth career top-five effort as he had two top-four performances this season at the 29th Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational and at the 14th Annual Greater Louisville Classic.
- His run of 24:48 was also just two seconds shy of his personal record, set at Louisville two weeks ago.
NEARLY ANOTHER PR- Derek Gielarowski had his fourth career top-10 effort, including his second this season after taking sixth in the home event.
- His time of 25:28 was just three second off his PR at last year's Horizon League Championship.
BACK-TO-BACK MARKS FOR AUSTIN- Austin Wigent set a career low for the second-straight race as he clocked a 25:50, two seconds faster than his time at Louisville two weeks ago.
FELTON COMING THROUGH- Charlie Felton lowered his 8k personal record for the second straight race finishing in 26:18, two seconds better than his run at Louisville back on Oct. 3.
MEET WRAP-UP- "Overall, we had a good race and competed well in a good field. It was a great run for Ben battling for the win. He took the lead and pushed the pace going for it, but Canisius' runner did a really good job in the last mile." - Guy Murray '89 – Director of Track & Field and Cross Country
UP NEXT- The Titans will look to win their third-straight Horizon League Championship as the conference will host its annual race on Halloween, Oct. 31, at the Elvin R King Cross Country Course in Cedarville, Ohio. Wright State will serve as the championship host.
