Hall Paces No. 14 TU to Season-Opening Win
IWU Invite Results | Photo Gallery
MARION, Ind. – Matt Hall topped the field in Friday's Indiana Wesleyan Invitational, leading seven Trojans inside the top-20 as No. 14 Taylor cruised to a first-place team finish to open the 2016 campaign.
The Trojans ran a time of 132:27 in the muggy air, besting second-place RV Bethel by 2:37 and third-place No. 17 Indiana Wesleyan by 3:16. The spread was equally as significant in the score column, where TU ended with 43 points to top the Pilots by 29 points and the hosts by 38.
Taylor placed each of its top-five performers inside the top-15 out of 142 competitors at the 11-team event, led by Hall. The senior ran a time of 25:20.3 to secure his third collegiate victory and his 12th-straight outing as the Trojans' top finisher. Hall was not challenged, crossing 25.5 seconds faster than the next runner.
Joseph Beamish ran a 26:20.8 to finish fourth, with Jonathan Taylor taking 10th at 26:44.7, Tanner Dye ending 13th at 26:54.6 and Benjamin Byrd claiming 15th at 27:06.3. Hunter Smith opened his collegiate career with a 27:08.4 to take 16th and Aaron Scott crossed in 19th with a time of 27:24.7.
No. 14 Taylor (10-0) will return to action in one week, racing at the Cedarville Invite on September 17.
