Columbia, Missouri - After winning the WHAC Championships two weeks ago, the Saints traveled to compete at the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships in Columbia, Missouri this morning. The Saints entered the meet ranked 19th in the country, but raced to a 18th place finish to secure their best team finish since the 2018 season. The men's program has now competed at 26 out of the last 28 national championships. 

The Saints were paced by Ben Hardy, who covered the 8000 meters in a new personal best time of 24:53. Hardy's effort led to a 57h place finish overall. Ethan Barker crossed the line next for Aquinas as he placed 118th in a time of 25:16, while Edward Frey finished in 123rd place with a time of 25:18. Brian Langlois (25:31) and Matthew Schieber (25:33) crossed the line next for the Saints as they finished in a 153rd and 162nd respectively.  Austin Williford (230th - 26:07) and Juan David Hernandez (285th - 26:59) also competed for the Saints. Aquinas recorded a team time of 2:06:33, which ranks 6th All-Time at Aquinas College.

College of Idaho won the team competition with a total score of 87 points, while Milligan, Cumberlands, and The Masters rounded out the podium team finishes. Aquinas tallied 488 points en route to their 18th place finish.

Coach Mike Wojciakowski commented, "This meet concludes one of the best seasons that I have witnessed by the men's cross country program at Aquinas College. Over the past four meets this group of student-athletes has recorded the first, second, sixth, and eighth fastest team times in school history. They won their second consecutive WHAC title and ran a strong race today to finish 18th in the nation. I salute my seniors for their dedication and loyalty to the program and I challenge the underclassman to keep the strong tradition of AQXC alive as we focus on the future."

The Saints will now switch their attention to the upcoming indoor track and field season.