Bowling Green, KY – The UC Men's Cross Country team competed in the Mid-South Conference Championships at Phil Moore Park in Bowling Green, Ky Friday afternoon. The Patriots came into the day ranked ninth in the conference and put on a good performance to finish sixth out of the 11 teams at the event. UC had their strongest lineup of the year with eight runners at the starting line set to compete.
 
"I thought the men ran great today. It was nice to have almost everyone on the line today as we have been struggling with injuries throughout the season. I'm looking forward to what is ahead for this young group," said Head Coach Randy Greer about his squad today.
 
Kyle Woodward led Cumberlands on the day with a tenth-place individual finish. The sophomore crossed the finish line in 26:52.2 earning him a spot on the All-Conference First Team. Woodward was no stranger to this course, having raced it earlier in the season. He improved his time by over one minute and a half on Friday. The Rockfield, KY native's performance earned him a spot at the national tournament in Vancouver, WA later this month.
 
Woodward had this to say about his performance, "I felt great on the course today. I got out strong and positioned myself well at the start. It feels amazing to qualify for nationals, I knew I had to beat one more runner at the end and I got him in the last 50 meters. I'm excited for Vancouver (WA)."
 
Daniel Connelly and Kevin Mengich were the next two Patriots to finish the race. Connelly was competing in his first race of the season and finished with a time of 27:43.8 for 27^th place. Mengich paced a time of 28:03.6 earning him a 34^th place finish.
 
Deshawn Crowe and Zach Pennington rounded out Cumberlands scorers on the day. Crowe came in 59^th place running his 8k in 29:11.2. This was the freshman's best time of the year. Pennington crossed the finish line in 31:02 for 88^th place overall.
 
The final two Patriots finished together in 102 and 103 place respectively. Nicolas Cecioni, an All-American swimmer for Cumberlands, was the first of the pair to finish with a time of 32:49.4. Carson Johnson, an All-American racewalker at UC, rounded out the Patriot finishers with a time of 33:00.1.
 
Shawnee State took home the title on Friday with a score of 24 points. Campbellsville found themselves in second, scoring 69 points, while Cumberland and Lindsey Wilson finished third and fourth both scoring 130. Bethel rounded out the top-five with 167 points followed by Cumberlands with a score of 182 on the day.
 
The NAIA National Championships are set for Friday, November 19^th in Vancouver, WA. Kyle Woodward will make the trip out to nationals for the first time in his career at UC.
 
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