KENOSHA, Wisc. (10/27/2018) -- Graduate senior
Ben Kendell had one thing in mind coming back for his fifth year and that was winning a cross country conference championship, a task that he completed on Saturday with a time of 24:19 at the Horizon League Championship.
He wasn't the only Titan to earn some hardware as junior
James McCann ran 25:08 for sixth place and First Team All-League Honors as both harriers led the red, white and blue in the race.
Kendell was also named the Horizon League Athlete of the Year after winning four of his five races so far. He started 2018 winning the 32nd Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational in 19:39 to set a new event record. He placed first at the National Catholic Championships – the first Titan to do so - clocking a 24:33 and won the Canisius Alumni Classic in 24:40. At the Greater Louisville Classic, he was fifth, but set a school 8k record posting a 23:56.
He is the first Titan in school history to win the Horizon League Championship after earning runner-up in 2015 and 2016 and taking fifth in 2014.
Kendell's time of 24:19 was eight seconds better than Ryan Sullivan of Youngstown State's 24:27, and the third fastest by a Titan at the conference event behind only Lawrence Swift's 24:01 in 1982 and Gary Servais' 24:17 in 1980.
McCann was 25th at the Horizon League Championship as a freshman and 20th last year, improving by 14 spots for the HL accolade this season, just a few seconds out of the top four.
The pair of Titan All-League honors and top seven finishers was the most by Detroit Mercy since they had four All-League harriers and two first teamers on its championship 2014 squad.
Junior
Adam Fraeyman was 41st in 26:41, while junior
Scott Smith ran 26:59 for 50th.
As a team, Detroit Mercy was sixth overall totaling 129 points at the Wayne Dannehl Championship Cross Country Course on the campus of UW-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the site of the Titans 2014 championship team.
The Titans will now get ready for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, held at Indiana State on Nov. 9.
