Ottumwa, IA – Led by a course record from freshman Brandon Ford (Perth, Australia/Duncraig), the Indian Hills Men's Cross Country team took home the team title at its home meet for the first time in school history as the Warriors captured the Indian Hills Invitational at the Cedar Creek Golf Course on Friday.
Ford cruised to the overall individual title with a course record time of 23:40.9, finishing 44 seconds ahead of the previous mark set last season at Cedar Creek. In addition to Ford's course record on Friday, the freshman has also posted school record marks in the 8k and 6k events throughout his collegiate debut season.
As a team, the Warriors earned a meet-low team score of 42 points after capturing three of the top-five places at Friday's meet. Joining Ford on the podium was sophomore Brody Lucas (Norwalk, IA/Norwalk) and Mohammed Al-Yafaee (Doha, Qatar/Aspire Academy) who both set personal best marks.
Lucas placed fourth overall for the Warriors with a new top time of 26:16.4 to score for the Warriors. Lucas has continued to thrive on the course during his sophomore campaign for Indian Hills, finishing three seconds ahead of his previous personal best this year and over 1:30 better than last year's efforts as a freshman.
Al-Yafaee, a member of the Indian Hills Track & Field program, was competing in his first collegiate cross country race for the Warriors. The sophomore dashed to a blistering time of 26:20.1 to place fifth overall for the Warriors.
Freshman Nik Davis (McCausland, IA/North Scott) contributed to the team scoring with an impressive performance of 26:57.8 for the Warriors, a new personal-best 8k mark. Logan Soedt (Eldridge, IA/North Scott) produced a personal best time of 27:31.5 to place 20th overall for the Warriors while Keelan Aita (Bennington, KS/Bennington) rounded out the team scoring with a personal best mark of 28:04.2.
Fellow sophomore Jacchaeus Taylor (Kansas City, MO/Raytown) crossed the finish line in 36th place for Indian Hills after producing a personal best mark of 28:35.0, over a full minute faster than his previous 8k mark this year.
The Warriors, ranked No. 7 in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll, will now set their sights on the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 11 Championship October 27 in Creston, IA on the Southwestern Community College campus.
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