FHSU Athletics
COLUMBIA, Mo.- The Fort Hays State men's cross country team placed fourth at the Gans Creek Classic open race on Friday, finishing as the top Division II team in the field. The Tigers collected 140 team points in the eight-kilometer race, five back of third place and just 48 points behind the team champions.
Sophomore Hayden Nemechek led the way for the Tigers, placing 11th out of 257 finishers with a time of 25:22.8. Junior Farrin Mangelson followed with a 24th-place finish in 25:36.3, while sophomore Austin Ritsema finished 35th in 25:54.1.
Junior Cole Krug placed 52nd with a time of 26:06.6, followed closely by sophomore Taran Castro in 53rd at 26:06.7 to round out the team scoring. Two others finished inside the top 100, with sophomore Quade Smith placing 69th in 26:25.5 and junior Ty Raulston finishing 95th in 26:48.0.
Ayenew Devany from Oklahoma City claimed the individual title with a time of 24:32.5, winning by nearly three seconds. Cornerstone University secured the team title with 92 points after placing five runners inside the top 45.
The Tigers defeated all six other NCAA DII programs in the field, including Rockhurst, Northwest Missouri State, Emporia State, Truman State, Southwest Baptist and Missouri-St. Louis.
Looking ahead, Fort Hays State will host the FHSU Tiger Open on Saturday, October 10 at the FHSU Track & Field Facility in Hays. The men's 8K is slated to open the day at 9:15 a.m.
4th - Fort Hays State - 140 points
11th - Hayden Nemechek - 25:22.8
24th - Farrin Mangelson - 25:36.3
35th - Austin Ritsema - 25:54.1
52nd - Cole Krug - 26:06.6
53rd - Taran Castro - 26:06.7
69th - Quade Smith - 26:25.5
95th - Ty Raulston - 26:48.0
122nd - Emery Wolfe - 27:23.1
139th - Brady Conway - 27:35.7
148th - Luke Wessel - 27.44.7
170th - Broxton Gall - 28:02.3