Zach Anderson

The SDSU men’s cross country team will compete in the Summit League Championships on Nov. 1.

The Jackrabbits will face Centenary, Oakland, Oral Roberts, Southern Utah, Western Illinois, North Dakota State, UMKC, IPFW and IUPUI in an 8k race.

“The men’s team champion and perhaps even the second place slot seems as though it will go to Southern Utah and Oakland,” Jackrabbit head coach Rod DeHaven said.

“After that, spots three through seven are wide open. We were picked to be fourth in the league, and our men can exceed that if our three, four and five runners perform well.”

The course the Jackrabbits will compete on is a Frisbee golf course along the banks of the Mississippi River in Shreveport, La.

The biggest challenge the men will face in the Summit League Championships is its youth and injuries that have affected the team throughout the season.

Sophomore Marshall Kambestad, who has performed well for the Jackrabbits, is leading the men.

Freshman Michael Krsnak has also led the Jacks in multiple meets.

“Our men will run with two athletes that were very strong for us earlier on but have had to sit out races due to injury. If they can run well, that might make a difference for us in the team race,” DeHaven said.

“It has been a tough year for the men, but I am encouraged by their positive attitude despite some set backs.”

Sophomores Jake Schneller and Greg Beesley will return after their injuries and hope to add a boost to the Jacks’ roster.

Other runners will be senior Joe Roby, freshman Brad Anderson and junior Todd Vlieger.

The SDSU men have placed first two different times this season. One was at the Bison Invitational and the other was at the Oz Memorial against NDSU and Drake.

At the SDSU classic, the men placed fifth out of 14 teams.