THE OVERVIEW

• Event: NCCAA DII Nationals
• Men's Team Finish: 2nd of 6 (60 pts.)
• Men's Top Runner: Cameron Rankin - 5th - 28:32 (8K)
• Women's Team Finish: 5th of 5 (93 pts.)
• Women's Top Runner: Sarah Vander Pluym - 10th - 21:27 (5K)
• Venue: Choctaw Trails, Jackson, Miss.

THE LEADERS - MEN

• 5th - Cameron Rankin - 28:32*
• 9th - Robert Kile - 29:28*
• 12th - Kurt Wagner - 29:57^
• 14th - Jeremiah Doak - 30:24
• 20th - David Williams - 30:52
• 21st - Josh Kruit - 31:17
• 34th - Colton Lingle - 34:26

THE LEADERS - WOMEN

• 10th - Sarah Vander Pluym - 21:27^
• 13th - Madelyn Hansel - 21:40*
• 24th - Anna Heins - 22:50*
• 33rd - Lauryn Wigdal - 25:32*
• 38th - Katheryn Marten - 27:35*
• 40th - Haly Hendricks - 31:47

*PR | ^Season-best

THE STORY

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Sabercats Men's Cross Country Team highlighted Maranatha's performances at the 2017 NCCAA National Championships this morning. The squad put in a strong showing for a 2nd-place finish.

The MBU Women's Team finished 5th place and recorded their best team time this season, running the women's 5K in just under 2 hours combined. 

Cameron Rankin made history. The junior's time of 28:32 was not only a PR, but he broke into the Top 5 finishers to earn a subsequent NCCAA All-America honor. Rankin's mark was also good enough for 5th-best in MBU program history.

Joining Rankin in the top 10 was Robert Kile, who PR'd with a nice pace of 29:28 - good for 16th all-time in program history. Kurt Wagner rounded out the top 3 Maranatha finishers with a season-best time of 29:57. That was the third time that Wagner has broken the 30-minute mark in his career.

On the women's side, Vander Pluym led the charge with her best time this season and a tidy Top-10 finish. Her mark of 21:27 beat her previous-best 5K split by a full minute.

Behind Vander Pluym came Madelyn Hansel and Anna Heins. Both runners finished inside the Top 25 and set PR's in the process. Four of the 6 Women's Team runners set a personal record on the day, and MBU finished with a team time of 1:59:05 - their best time this year.

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This was the final event this season. For senior Josh Kruit, this was the fourth consecutive year that he was part of a top-3 MBU team at NCCAA Nationals. The MBU men won the title in 2014 and 2015 before finishing in 3rd place last year.

THE OUTLOOK

A full recap of the season will be forthcoming.