The 2019 John Carroll men's cross country team has reached new heights.
On Wednesday, September 18, the Blue Streaks were awarded their highest national ranking in program history, coming in at 24th in the nation according to the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll.
The previous high water mark was 26th in week four of the 2015 national rankings.
Equally as impressive, they have tied their program record for highest ranking within their region at third, coming in behind Calvin and Otterbein.
The Blue Streak runners, under the direction of head coach
Kyle Basista, have earned their way to this position after their strong showings in their first two meets, the Sudeck Stampede and the Knight Invite.
At the Sudeck Stampede John Carroll took second of three teams because of the swift running from sophomore
Ian Pierson and freshman Alex Phillip. Pierson and Phillip finished as the first and second runners to cross the line that day out of the 52 total participants. Sophomore
Pat White also ran well for the Blue Streaks as he crossed the finish line in 10th.
John Carroll then traveled to compete in the Knight Invite where they made their presence felt. JCU finished second out of 24 teams finishing only behind the number one team in the region and host, Calvin College. The Blue Streaks ability to fend off other regional opponents gave them the upper hand in this week's rankings.
Alex Phillip and
Ian Pierson ran hard once again and propelled JCU to the aforementioned second place finish. Phillip finished his day by coming in 7th overall and 5th collegiately out of the 218 total racers. Pierson came in just after Phillip with a respectable 12th place overall and 10th place collegiate finish. Other Streaks that ran well were
Jamie Dailey (17th overall),
Jared Arnold (49th overall) and
Pat White (54th overall).
John Carroll will next race at the All-Ohio Championships on Saturday September 28th at 1:00 PM in Cedarville, Ohio at the Cedarville University Elvin R. King Cross Country Course.
