THE STORY

WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- The Sabercats Men's Cross Country Team upped their game today at the Warrior Invitational, as they added Jefferson Rupert to the list of qualifiers for NCCAA Nationals. At the front of the pack was Cameron Rankin, who was just nine seconds off of his collegiate PR.  

Robert Kile shaved 38 seconds off of his pace from the Ken Weidt Classic three weeks ago. David Williams was over a minute faster and Drew Smith was almost a full two minutes quicker this time around. The biggest reductions came from James Rossiter (over four minutes) and TJ Lacock (two and a half). As a team, the Sabercats finished eighth out of 10 squads that attended the meet.

Wisconsin Lutheran took home the first-place position as a team, as they totaled just 47 points and had two runners in the top five. WLC ran the event in 2:20:27 while the Sabercats came in at 2:37:15 as a group. Chase Robles was the fastest man of the day, as he represented the WLC Alumni with a time of 26:42.

THE OVERVIEW

• Event: Warrior Invitational
• Men: 8th of 10 / 172 pts
• First Runner: Cameron Rankin - 13th - 28:41 (8K)
• Location: West Allis, Wis. / Greenfield Park
• Next: Friday, October 5 at Bethel Invitational 

THE RESULTS

• 15th - Cameron Rankin (28:41)
• 36th - Robert Kile (30:42)
• 38th - Jefferson Rupert (31:00)
• 43rd - David Williams (32:02)
• 54th - James Rossiter (34:48)
• 57th - Drew Smith (34:55)
• (69th) - TJ Lacock (36:58)

NCCAA NATIONALS

The Sabercats have now qualified four of the maximum seven runners for the season finale. To qualify, runners must finish an official 8K event with a mark of 34:00 or better. Rupert joins Rankin, Kile, and Williams with a secured spot at NCCAA Nationals.