In the men’s race, Mount Union College (62 points) edged host Otterbein (80 points) to win the 16-team race. Tiffin University (90 points), DePauw (Ind.) University (98 points), and Denison University (123 points) rounded out the top five, while MVNU finished 11th as the Cougars compiled 341 points.

Kyle Basista of Mount Union won the men’s eight-kilometer race with a time of 25:19 to nip Tiffin’s Chad Roberts (25:20). Sophomore Mark Porostosky (left) led the Cougars with a time of 27:06 to finish 28th out of 205 runners. Freshman Chaz Rice (28:35, 75th), freshman Zach Stiverson (29:06, 91st), sophomore Dustin Wine (31:33, 163rd), senior Tim Grubb (31:40, 166th), freshman David Clark (32:10, 172nd), and sophomore Zach Tuggle (32:23, 179th) each scored for MVNU, and junior Ben Hawes (33:03, 187th) rounded out the line-up as he posted a new personal best.

In the women’s race, DePauw took first place with 29 points followed by Ohio Wesleyan University with 67 points. Otterbein (101 points), Denison (103 points), and Mount Union (105 points) rounded out the top five, while the Lady Cougars finished 15th out of 16 teams with 457 points.

Melissa Converse won the women’s six-kilometer race with a time of 21:45 to easily out-distance runner-up Melinda Keesee (22:11). Junior Mallorey Newland (right) led MVNU by finishing 119th out of 181 runners in 27:58. Sophomore Tessa Swartzentruber (28:02, 120th), senior Katie Tracy (29:00, 141st), senior Bethany Haught (172nd, 34:35), sophomore Liz Bayless (38:29, 177th), senior Ashley Davis (39:06, 178th), and sophomore Brittany Click (42:03, 181st) all contributed for the Lady Cougars.

“I was pleased to see some growth in both our men’s and women’s teams,” said MVNU head coach Chip Wilson. “The running conditions were not favorable for anybody, but I thought we ran well and we were able to make some strides in our development this season. Our times did not reflect how hard we ran, but I am encouraged by the determination I saw in this race. We have a week off from racing which will allow us to rest our bodies and prepare for the All-Ohio race.”

Both MVNU teams will be back in action on Friday, October 5, when they compete in the All-Ohio Invitational hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University.