TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -  The Eastern Oregon University Mountaineers competed in the 2022 NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship on Friday morning. What started out as a chilly morning ended up turning into a great day on the course with a fast track for the 8,000-meter race. Held in Tallahassee, Fla. at Apalachee Regional Park, Eastern finished 12th as a team with 301 points.
 
For the Mountaineer men the finish marks the 25th time they have placed in the top-20 in program history, all coming under the direction of Head Coach Ben Welch.
 
"It was a good course and beautiful weather. The guys ran fast, it was just a deep field this year," Welch said. "I'm proud of the year they had and I'm excited for the future."
 
Eastern didn't have any runners finish in the top-40 to earn All-American status, but they had several runners right on the edge. Leading the way for the Mounties was Justin Ash finishing 51st. Ash bounced back after battling illness at the CCC Championship and lead the Mountaineers with a time of 25:02.9.
 
Falling in not far behind Ash was former two-time NAIA All-American Travis Running, finishing 60th. The senior posted a season-best time of 25:08.9. Hunter Nichols, EOU's highest finisher in the CCC Championship, was the third finisher for Eastern in 65th place. Nichols finished with a time of 25:12.0.
 
The final two runners earning points for the Mountaineers were Winston Telford and Jonathon Wind. Telford finished 91st with a time of 25:26.3. Just seven spots back from Telford was Wind who posted a lifetime best performance at the Championship. The junior finished in 98th with a time of 25:29.8.
 
The NAIA National Championship Race wraps up the 2022 Cross Country season for the Mountaineers.

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