The 15th-ranked Case Western Reserve University men's cross country team put itself in a prime position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championships with a second-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional Championships at the Three Fires Golf Club in Holland, Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans were led by seniors Jack Begley, Joe Jaster, and Robert St. Clair, who each notched a top-10 finish at the meet. Begley placed third overall out of 271 total runners at the meet with a time of 24:26.8 in the 8K race, and was followed closely by Jaster, who claimed a fourth-place finish in a time of 24:27.7. St. Clair crossed the line in 10th place with a mark of 24:34.8.
Three other Spartan runners added all-region finishes as well. Sophomore Aidan Nathan placed 22nd overall with a mark of 24:51.7. Senior Liam O'Reilly added a 26th-place finish with a time of 24:57.5, rounding out the team's scoring runners at the meet. And, senior Logan Singer notched a 33rd-place finish in a time of 25:02.9.
Adding a strong finish for the Spartans was junior Stephen Henry, who was 51st overall with a mark of 25:21.9.
All seven Spartans recorded season-best times in the race.
CWRU finished with a score of 65, placing only behind John Carroll, which won the regional with a score of 48. Mount Union rounded out the top-three teams with a score of 108.
John Carroll's Alex Phillip was the top individual finisher, crossing the line in a time of 23:56.7.
Saturday's second-place finish helped to further strengthen the Spartans' resume for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship field, which will be announced on Sunday afternoon. The NCAA Championship will be held on Saturday, November 19 in Lansing, Michigan.
