JBU runners excel in Little Rock
LITTLE ROCK — Junior Jacob Benjamin earned his first-career medalist finish and the John Brown men’s cross country team won the non-Division I grouping at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Invitational on Saturday morning at the Rebsamen Golf Course.
Both Benjamin’s medalist finish and the team victory stand as just the second time either have been accomplished since the program was resurrected in 2008. Marcos Gutierrez’s first-place finish helped JBU capture the Platinum Buffalo Invitational in 2014.
Benjamin’s time of 27 minutes, 1.9 seconds was his best 8,000-meter time of the season, as the Golden Eagles posted a team time of 2:19:16, besting its previous mark at the Missouri Southern State University Stampede back on Sept. 16.
Junior Michael Games and sophomore Nathan Pearson each handed in season-best times as Pearson factored into the scoring for the first time in 2017. The Golden Eagles won the meet with 25 points and occupied five of the top 10 times in the meet.
Junior Josh Uzelac crossed the finish line in 27:49.3, good enough for fourth place, while freshman Ben Martin’s 27:56.7 was good enough for fifth place overall. Just five seconds later, Games grabbed sixth place while Pearson’s ninth-place finish was captured in 28:28.8.
“Jacob (Benjamin) ran very well today,” head coach Scott Schochler said. “His consistency is huge for the team. Nathan (Pearson) ran a great race to be one of our top-five runners — he still is just learning what running is about, as this is still less than a year and a half since he began running. Ben (Martin) also ran well putting himself near the front of the race. While a little disappointed for Josh, we know when it counts he will have a great race.”
With just one race left before the Sooner Athletic championships on Nov. 4, the Golden Eagles will head to the Gateway to the West on Saturday, Oct. 21, to compete in the St. Louis College of Pharmacy Invitational.