Men’s Cross Country claims top-20 finish

Although they’ve been overshadowed by the women’s cross country National Championship victory, the men’s team also proudly made Hopkins history, admittedly, in less dramatic fashion. The squad’s 20th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country National Championship in Terre Haute, IN on Saturday was a program best and reflects the depth and strong direction the Hopkins Cross Country program is headed. The Blue Jays accumulated 475 points for their first top-20 finish in program history as North Central University took the team title with 167 overall points. Calvin College and Haverford College tied for second place, scoring 188 points. Individually, Tim Nelson of University of Wisconsin-Stout led the race to win the individual title in 24:26. Junior Max Robinson burned the trail for the Jays, finishing 77th overall in 25:33. Robinson ran an extremely bold race, charging out with the front of the pack early, only to fall back towards the final stages of the course. “I took the race out hard to try and put myself in position to finish well,” exclaimed Robinson, adding, “but then I faded towards the end of the race.” Placing in the second slot for Hopkins was senior Josh Budman, in the final cross country race of his career. The senior poured every ounce of determination into the race, improving his time by a massive 49 second margin, finishing 105th in 25:45. Other stand-outs for the squad were Julian Saliani and Josh Baker who each cut roughly 30 seconds off their time from the Pre-National Meet. Saliani placed 113th overall in 25:46, while Baker slotted in at number 122 in 25:50. Hopkins’ overall top-five was topped with the 233rd place finish of freshman Schaffer Ochstein in 26:45. Head coach Bobby Van Allen emphatically praised his squad, “The guys ran an incredible race, we moved up six spots from our first time here last year in 2011.” (Courtesy of Hopkinssports.com) However proud the head coach might have been, Robinson flatly disagreed. “I think the team had an off day,” concluded the junior runner, adding, “finishing in the top 20 in the country was nice, but we could’ve definitely been in the top 15. Individuals like Josh Budman, Julian Saliani, and Josh Baker had great days, but I think we were capable of much more as a team.”