The Elizabethtown College men’s cross country team had their penultimate meet for their season on Saturday, Nov. 12. This meeting was a big one for the Blue Jays as it was the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship 8K race. The race was hosted by Susquehanna University in Lock Haven, Pa. There, the team placed well, placing seventh out of 32 teams at the meet. They ended the day with a total of 251 points.

For Etown, it was junior Brandon Baxter who led the charge for the Blue Jays. He finished in 29th place on Saturday with a final time of 26 minutes and 20.9 seconds. This impressive top 30 finish performance earned the junior all-region honors for the race.

The six other Blue Jays that competed all placed inside the top 150 when the day was done. Junior Christian Gingrich’s time of 26 minutes and 43.8 seconds was good enough 46th place on the leaderboards. Seniors Matt Fick and Devon Soto finished with times just under 27 minutes, finishing in 52nd with a time of 26 minutes and 54.5 seconds and 57th with a time of 26 minutes and 59.2 seconds respectively. The other members of the team that each finished the day inside the top 150 included sophomore Daniel Myers, who timed 27 minutes and 17 seconds flat and finished in 67th, junior Carter Balliet whose 28 minutes and 10.3 second finish placed him 114th and sophomore Nolan Pettit who finished in 135th, clocking in at 28 minutes and 58.3 seconds.

When the day ended, Carnegie Mellon University found itself on top of the leaderboards for teams, winning the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship with a total of 22 points. The single race winner was Gavin McElhennon from Johns Hopkins University who crossed the finish line in 25 minutes and 2.8 seconds.