Local runners Stephens, Hilverding race in NAIA national meet
Albert Gallatin graduate Xavier Stephens and Waynesburg Central’s Sean Hilverding helped lead Point Park University men’s cross country to a 32nd-place finish in the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship on Saturday in Vancouver, Washington.
The Pioneers registered their second team score at the national meet in program history, and beat their 35th-place finish in 2015, the only other time Point Park qualified as a team for nationals.
The Pioneers had three of their seven hit their personal-best times, including Stephens. The sophomore finished first for Point Park in hitting is PR at 26:44. Stephens’ pace was at 5:23 on the five-mile course. It was the first time Stephens had run under 27 minutes, and he was 127th out of 326.
Hilverding was the third running to cross the finish line for the Pioneers at 27:16.
Connor Wright (27:43), Desmond Marrow (27:48), Bradley Calleja (28:04) and Eric Torres (28:07) rounded out the top seven for Point Park. Teammate and senior Chris Hunt was second in his final collegiate meet in 26:52.
The Pioneers’ average time was 27:17, and its 1-5 split was at 1:04.
British Columbia won the team title with 41 points. Columbia, Missouri was second at 168, followed by Oklahoma City with 179.
Oklahoma City’s Mark Shaw was the individual title in 24:09. William Carey’s Geoffrey Kipchumba was second in 24:19 and British Columbia’s Kieran Lumb was third in 24:27.