By The men’s cross country team had a great start to their 2024 season.
Following their 2023 season with a Frontier Conference championship and a 20th-place overall finish at the NAIA championship they are looking to have even better results this year with goals to finish in the top ten at nationals in November.
On Aug. 30 at the Bobcat Twilight meet in Bozeman the Men’s cross country team competed in their first meet of the season. Competing against multiple Division I schools, the team placed 4th overall and 1st among NAIA schools. Zack Gacnik, a Junior from Conifer, Colorado with a Computer Science Major, was the top runner for the NAIA and earned the Frontier Conference runner of the week.
Zack Gacnik
“I think that we all had a calm and reserved mentality ahead of our trip to Bozeman, and that really contributed to our composure throughout every stage of the race,” said Gacnik. “Personally, I knew where I wanted to place in the race and really just trusted my training and everything I had worked for over the summer. It ended up being a great atmosphere with impressive performances across the board for us.”
The Saints brought four first-years to the team this year and have eleven returning runners.
“We’re returning almost our entire varsity team and have a lot of younger talent,” said Gacnik. “Everyone contributes to the team culture every day at practice and that builds upon itself throughout the whole season.”
The team will run in five more meets before the harriers head to NAIA nationals in Columbia, Missouri, in November.
