HARDEEVILLE, S.C. -- The SEU Men's Cross Country team raced to a first-place team finish at the Sand Shark Invitational in Hardeeville, South Carolina, putting together a dominant pack effort to top a field of NCAA Division I, II, and NAIA opponents. The Fire tallied 52 points to edge NCAA Division I Bethune-Cookman (60) and Mount Olive (76) for the team title on a course that began and ended at the Hardeeville School Complex, weaving through Sergeant Jasper Park and the Cooler Property.
The 8-kilometer route — flat, fast, and almost entirely on grass and trails — has served as host to several Sun Conference Championships and once again provided an ideal stage for strong team performances.
Jack Brooks paced Southeastern with a 5th-place finish in 25:28.0, continuing his leadership role at the front of the Fire pack.
Kaleb Mellott continued his stellar season, clocking 26:03.5 to place 9th, while
Derek Robinson was right behind in 12th (26:16.0).
Jeremy Durbin turned in a 16th-place finish at 26:20.2, and
Jordan Hierholzer completed the scoring five in 18th (26:29.9) to secure the win for SEU.
Noah Joos (21st, 26:34.1) and
Tobias Dickerson (24th, 26:41.7) added key depth, giving Southeastern an impressive seven runners in the top 25 and a scoring spread of just 62 seconds from first to fifth. The performance marked one of the Fire's most complete outings of the season, demonstrating both front-end strength and pack discipline against a talented field.
The Fire will look to build on their momentum when they travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the NAIA Appalachian Challenge on Friday, October 24, with the men's 8-kilometer race set for 9:30 a.m. as Southeastern continues its push toward The Sun Conference Championships.
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