LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Senior Jordan Thomas led the way for the nationally ranked Davis & Elkins College men's cross country team Saturday, finishing in the top 25 overall at the Louisville Cross Country Classic held at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.
Both the men's and women's teams, ranked No. 30 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II poll, competed in the Gold Division against more than a dozen NCAA Division I programs and several nationally ranked Division II squads.
Thomas crossed the line in 24:14.9 to finish 24th overall in a field of 326 runners, leading the Senators to a 15th-place team finish out of 40 programs. Davis & Elkins totaled 437 points and posted an average team time of 25:07.86. Rounding out the top five were Christopher Lucas (24:52.9), Konnor Allison (25:24.5), Cooper Gibson (25:32.2), and Slate Swiger (25:34.8).
The Senators finished ahead of 12 NCAA Division I programs, including East Tennessee State, Detroit Mercy, Stetson, Marshall, Richmond, Florida Gulf Coast, Eastern Illinois, Bellarmine, UNC-Asheville, Southern Illinois, USC Upstate, and Morehead State—a strong showing that underscored D&E's national depth and competitiveness.
On the women's side, Davis & Elkins placed 22nd overall out of 31 teams with 588 points and an average time of 18:43.16 in a field of 305 runners. Senior Lauren Twyman paced the team with a time of 18:22.5, placing 102nd overall. She was followed closely by Rebecca Tellez (18:40.7), Savanna Hardman (18:41.3), Jeanne Pelissier (18:47.2), and Zoe Belshan (19:04.1).
The women's team finished ahead of several programs, including Division I schools East Tennessee State, Northern Kentucky, Southern Illinois, USC Upstate, and Morehead State, along with regionally ranked Hillsdale and NAIA power Olivet Nazarene.
You can view the full results from the Louisville Classic here.
Both teams will return to action on Friday, October 10, at the Concord Invitational hosted by Concord University in Athens, West Virginia. The meet is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.
