Trojans Men’s Cross Country Team in the NAIA National Championship

Dakota State made their fifth straight appearance, representing the NSAA, in the NAIA Men’s Cross-Country National Championship Friday morning at Apalachee Regional Park. A total of 34 teams and 318 runners competed in the 8K racecourse. Five DSU runners produced NAIA national meet record times. 

Dakota State placed 33rd as a team, scoring a total of 851 points. Dordt captured the team title with 97 points. Abraham Cheleangam of Oklahoma City claimed the individual national title with a time of 23 minutes, 41.9 seconds.

Freshman Curtis Johnson led the Trojans with a personal record time of 26 minutes, 5.5 seconds for a 173rd-place finish in his first national cross country meet appearance. Taylor Myers added a personal record (and personal NAIA national meet) time of 26 minutes, 9.3 seconds for a 176th-place finish.

Tyler Kennedy ran in his fourth straight NAIA national meet finishing 250th with a time of 26 minutes, 53.6 seconds for Dakota State. His time was the NAIA national meet personal best.  Evan Slominski produced the NAIA national meet record time of 27 minutes, .9 seconds to finish 257th. Cody Farland hit the NAIA national meet record time of 27 minutes, 5.5 seconds to place 264th.

Colter Elkin posted the NAIA national meet record time of 27 minutes, 35.8 seconds to finish 285th for DSU. Martin Bailey finished 299th with a time of 28 minutes, 3.7 seconds.

It was the third consecutive national cross-country meet appearance for Myers, Slominski, and Bailey. Farland and Elkin made their second straight appearance in the national cross-country meet.

The 67th annual NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship officially ends the cross-country season.