Making NCCAA History
STORY
JOPLIN, Mo. -- Jeremy Fopma has done what no other runner has done before, becoming the first-ever recorded overall winner from Division II at NCCAA Nationals.*
His 8K time of 25:47 stood almost a full minute faster than anyone else in the 96-man field, and with the win, Fopma successfully defends his title and becomes the first runner from Maranatha to win back-to-back NCCAA DII national championships.
With his title defense, Fopma sets his third sub-26 time this season and becomes just the third runner since 2000 to win back-to-back titles at the Division II level.
The team battled for the entirety of a gritty race against some nagging injuries and a healthy midwestern wind, and it became evident that their title dream would remain a dream only. Alice Lloyd College put on a gritty performance to take second place but the Sabercats fought their way onto the podium for the first time in three years.
Jordan Hoffmann was the only one to set a PR on the windy day, as he edged his previous best by two seconds for a 12th-place finish. Jefferson Rupert, Josiah Cochran, and Zach Brungard all recorded a top-25 finish.
This wraps up a season of ups and downs for the Sabercats, who made the most of a 2020 season that many thought would never come.
(*NCCAA records date back to 1972 and are incomplete. For NCCAA Men's Cross Country archives, click here for DI and click here for DII)
OVERVIEW
- Event: NCCAA DII Nationals
- Men's Finish: 3rd Place / 81 points
- Team Time: 2:26:28
- First Runner: Jeremy Fopma - 1st - 25:47 (8K)
- Location: Joplin, Mo. / Seneca Cross Country Course
RESULTS (Men's 8K)
- 1st - Jeremy Fopma (25:47)#
- 12th - Jordan Hoffmann (28:48)*#
- 21st - Jefferson Rupert (30:21)
- 22nd - Josiah Cochran (30:33)
- 25th - Zach Brungard (30:59)
- (31st) - Drew Smith (31:27)
- (36th) - Jonathan Gilliam (33:29)
- (39th) - Jeremy Zobel (34:29)
*Personal Record :: #Program Top-20 finish
NEXT
A full recap of the season is coming soon at mbusabercats.com.
