Burns Sets Course Record as Trojans Finish Second
UPLAND, Ind. – The Trojans grabbed a second-place finish behind a new course record from freshman Nathan Burns in only his second collegiate race.
Burns topped the field of 111 runners with a new course record time of 25:02.9. The Mooresville, Indiana native beat the previous course record by over 11 seconds and shattered the previous best time by a Taylor runner at the course, topping it by nearly 30 seconds.
Luke Harber was the next Taylor runner to cross the finish line in fifth place, with a time of 25:33.0. Ryan Hanak and Ben Eiffert ran together and finished a step apart, with Hanak clocking in at 26:09.5 and Eiffert close behind with a time of 26:11.1. The tandem placed 15th and 16th as the Trojans' third and fourth runners.
Zach McKowen was the final Taylor runner to score in 21st place for a team total of 58 points.
The Taylor men (19-3) finished second of nine in a field consisting of four teams ranked in the top 16. The team's time of 2:09:15 set a new course record, despite finishing behind Grace, who's team time of 2:09:20 was five seconds slower than Taylor's.
The TU men's cross country program will compete next in the Louisville Cross Country Classic on Saturday, September 30th, with the men's race set to commence at 10:45 am.
