LAKELAND, Fla. --- The Men's Mississippi College Cross Country team finished second at the 2022 NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 19. The 10-kilometer race was contested at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Fla., the home course of Sunshine State Conference school Florida Southern University. The Regional contest consisted of teams from the Gulf South Conference, the Sunshine State Conference, and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The event was won by Mississippi College's own Jan Lukas Becker, stopping the clock in a course record and school record time of 30:40.3.
Fellow Choctaws Gabe Poulin, Hunter Kurz, and Christian Balcer finished in All-South Region honors: Poulin in 6th(30:59.7), Kurz in 11th(31:12.1), and Balcer in 21st(31:47.9).
Sophomore Braedon Methvin rounded out the scoring five, covering the 10K course in a time of 32:28.8, placing 33rd overall.
Adam Gomez and Preston Speed also had solid showings. Gomez placed 39th in 32:42.2, and Speed 59th in 33:30.8.
The result of the Choctaws' second-place finish is an automatic qualifier to the 2022 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, which will be contested in University Place, Wash., at Chambers Bay Golf Course on Friday, Dec. 2.
8K(XC) and 10K(XC) school record holder Jan Lukas Becker
-Commenting on the team's performance and their preparation for Nationals.
"We had to compensate some losses due to illness, and our underclassmen stepped up into those spots for the team. We did what we were coming to Florida for, which was to qualify for nationals. Given the circumstances, the outcome is what we wanted, but at the same time, there was an opportunity to achieve greater. We will learn from this experience and move on to nationals, and look forward to racing on the national stage in Washington."
Post-race notes
-Jan Lukas Becker broke the Mississippi College 10(XC) school record and Holloway Park 10K(XC) course record, formerly held by NCAA Division II record holder in the 1500m, 1 mile, 3000m, and 5000m(indoor) Christian Noble of Lee University.
-12 athletes were under the previous course record of 31:19. Becker, Poulin, and Kurz were among those athletes.
-Six athletes broke 31 minutes in the 10K for the first time in Holloway Park history. Those athletes were Jan Lukas Becker(MC), Sam Wilhelm(UAH), Will Stone(Lee), Joe Leventry(UM), Donald Kibet(Benedict), and Gabe Poulin(MC).
-Becker's time of 30:40.3 is 4:56 mile pace for 6.25 miles.
-Becker came through the 5K mark in 15:30, before closing in 15:10(4:53 mile pace) for the second 5K.
-This is the second consecutive year that the Mississippi College Men's Cross Country team will compete at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships.
Lifetime bests
-Gabe Poulin(30:59.7)
-Hunter Kurz(31:12.1)
-Christian Balcer(31:47.9)
-Braedon Methvin(32:28.8)
-Adam Gomez(32:42.2)
-Preston Speed(33:20.8)
Important links:
2022 NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships Results
Mississippi College Men's XC Runner-ups at GSC Championships
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