Jacks’ men harriers finish fifth

Travis Kriens

Travis Kriens

The SDSU men’s cross country team finished fifth at the Summit League cross country meet in Shreveport, La., on Nov. 1.

Southern Utah won the championship with 51 points, followed by Oakland with 57 points. Oral Roberts took third place with 104 points, while North Dakota State finished fourth with 120. The Jacks finished with 125 points.

Freshman Michael Krsnak was the top finisher for the Jacks in 10th place with a time of 25 minutes and 14 seconds. Senior Joe Roby crossed next at 24th in a time of 25:56, followed by sophomore Marshall Kambestad in 26th in a time of 26:02.

Brad Anderson, a freshman from Yankton, finished at 27th in 26:05. Junior Todd Vlieger rounded out the Jackrabbit scoring in 39th place in a time of 26:49.

“The conference meet was symbolic of the whole season,” said head coach Rod DeHaven. “Marshall looked like he was getting out well but had an issue with his calf that had him limping the final three miles.

“He had great summer training, but once the school year started, he had trouble. He has a chance to finish in the top five when healthy. Injuries have plagued us all season.”

Southern Utah has now won 10 of the last 12 men’s Summit League cross country championships, and the two years in which they did not win, the Thunderbirds finished second.

Southern Utah was consistent throughout the race with runners crossing the finish line in second, fourth, eighth, 16th and 21st place.

Oral Roberts’ Jonah Lagat won the meet in a time of 23:53.

“The exposure and knowing what it takes will help us in the years to come,” said DeHaven. “If we get healthy, we should be all right.”

The Jackrabbits return to action on Nov. 15 at the NCAA Midwest Regional Meet in Stillwater, Okla.