SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The 2024 cross country season concluded Saturday on the national stage, with Anderson's men's team competing at the NCAA DII National Championships in Sacramento.
The Arcade Creek Cross Country Course at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in northern Sacramento endured more than 24 straight hours of heavy rain leading to Saturday morning's races. The faulty course conditions forced by the weather, which impacted the speed of the race as proven by the 2024 NCAA Men's Individual Champion's time being 40 seconds slower than the 2023 NCAA Men's Individual Champion's finish, ultimately got the best of the Trojans.
"Our men executed the race plan perfectly when it came to establishing position early by the 2K mark in the race," said Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Kevin Eagle. "From there, the conditions took a toll on everyone. We had big team goals and went for it from the gun. Unfortunately, today was not our day."
The men's race began at 10:00 AM local time, and Anderson was quick from the start, sitting in 11th place as a team after the first kilometer, with Elliot Dotson (Greenville, S.C.) and Spain Vaughan (Simpsonville, S.C.) in 3rd and 8th respectively. After another kilometer, the Black and Gold sat 13th in the field, before falling slightly to 16th place at the 4.4K-mark. It was then that the conditions of the course took a toll on the Trojans, as they slipped to 22nd in the field at the 5.4K-mark and down to 30th as a team at 8.8K. By the conclusion of the race at 10K, Anderson was 31st in the field.
Dotson led the Trojans to the finish line, running for 31:17 to finish 78th overall. Following behind him was South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year, William Cronin (Lexington, S.C.) who was 107th in the field with a time of 31:32.
Rounding out the scoring for Anderson were juniors Joey Tindale (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Angel Galan (Santa Marta De Tormes, Spain) and senior David Williams (Irmo, S.C.) at 193rd, 225th and 226th.
"We know we're better than we finished today," added Eagle, "but we went for the home run. We have 5 of 7 who ran today back next year, so we will simply regroup and reload. I couldn't be more proud of our team and their desire to be the best."
Winning the men's competition was Colorado School of Mines, who topped last year's champion and fellow SAC competitor, Wingate, who claimed the runner-up spot.
The Trojans now look to the indoor track and field season which kicks off in just two weeks (Dec. 7) with Anderson set to compete both in Boston and Winston-Salem.
