The Blackburn College men’s cross country team opened their season in Elsah, Illinois, at the Principia Season Opener on Thursday, September 1. The team was one of six that competed in the 6k race on a hot afternoon at the North Farm Cross Country Facility. Blackburn was one of four SLIAC teams in the meet and finished in fourth place overall behind conference opponents Webster (second place), host Principia (third place), and ahead of Westminster College.

Team captain, Quentin Smith, was the top finisher for Blackburn taking 22^nd place with a time of 27:06. Returner Locke Hord outkicked a Webster runner down the stretch to finish in 25^th place (28:09), followed closely by teammates, Luis Alvarado (28:24) and freshman, Will Teig (28:25). Another freshman, Cody Moore, rounded out the scoring, finishing at 31:49. Returner Will Killion and freshman, Trent Raby, also competed in the race.

Coach Al Sturgeon said, “The season opener provided a great opportunity to face some stiff competition and will serve as a motivator for a men’s team that likes to compete. Quentin, Locke, and Luis have all been working hard and will only get better as the season progresses. It was especially great to see Luis do so well in his first ever cross country race! I appreciate our other team members so much since they have another primary sport and are willing to come out to help the team. Will Teig, in particular, showed real talent in his first college race, and if Cody Moore can remain healthy, he has tremendous potential as well.”

The team’s next meet is on Friday, September 9, at Springfield, Illinois, at the 7^th Annual Prairie Star Invitational.