GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - The IU Kokomo men's cross country team turned in a strong performance at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge on Saturday morning, placing 3rd out of 34 teams in the Men's 8K White race.


FAST FACTS- NAIA Great Lakes Challenge 

• LOCATION: River Side Park | Grand Rapids, Michigan
• NAIA TOP 25 RANKINGS: IU Kokomo: N/A

THE RUNDOWN

• The Cougars finished 3rd overall with a total team time of 2:13:12 — the second-fastest total team time in program history. Indiana Wesleyan claimed the team title with an average time of 2:12:09.
• Freshman Karter Jackson led the way for IU Kokomo, finishing 14th with a personal-best time of 26:20.50. Jackson now ranks as the fourth-best performer all-time in program history and holds the fifth-fastest time overall. His performance also set a new freshman record, breaking his own previous mark.
• Senior Bryce Stateler followed closely behind, finishing in 15th place and running a new season best of 26:22.90. 
• Junior Drew Lovelace crossed the line next for the Cougars in 36th place (26:45.20), followed by fellow junior Steven Case in 39th (26:49.00).
• Freshman Jeremiah Miles rounded out the team's top five with a 41st-place finish, clocking a 26:54.80.
• Overall, nine Cougars ran personal bests Saturday: 
  • Karter Jackson- 26:20.50 
  • Daylen Schrock- 26:56.30
  • Jacob Bumgardner- 27:14.00 
  • Ayden Potts- 27:17.10 
  • Isaiah Kanable- 27:39.60 
  • Jaxsen Muncie- 28:15.90
  • Brayden Clawson- 28:29.60 
  • Isaiah Moore- 28:29.80
  • Connor Frederick- 28:42.00
• For full results, click HERE.

INSIDE THE HUDDLE

• "I am very happy with where we are on the men's side.  We have run the fastest and 2^nd fastest total team times this year which says that this the best men's team we have ever had.  We had some good individual performances today and if we can put it all together in one meet we could surprise some people.  We are moving towards our conference race, which is what we have been training for this season.  We have some work to do but I am looking forward to the next few weeks." - Head Coach Josh Colvin

THE ROAD AHEAD 

• The Cougars will be back in action on November 8th as they look ahead for the River States Conference Championships in Rio Grande, Ohio.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the IU Kokomo Cougars, fans can visit IUKCougars.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Cougar news by following @IUKAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.