Men's XC Finishes 39th at NJCAA National Tournament

Albuquerque, NM. - Led by freshman Aaron Brown with a time of 28:13, the Marion Military Institute men's cross country team finished 39th in the nation on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Brown led the way for the first time since early September, running near a PR for the Tigers.  The National Championships were contested at over 5,300 feet of altitude and began with a field of 48 teams.  Only 45 full teams were able to complete the 8k race.

Sophomore Kendall England finished just behind Brown with a time of 28:19. Both England and Brown finished in the top half of the nearly 400 runner field. Head coach Chad Balentine was pleased with his squad's performance under tough altitude conditions. "Despite the altitude and a little adversity, these guys showed tremendous grit and determination.  They represented their team, school, family, and friends in a BIG way!" 

Michael Welborn finished third for MMI with Daniel Garza, Adrian Lopez, and Raul Martinez rounding out the 4th through 6th spots.  "The men and women that made up this team are very much appreciated and will be greatly missed as most move onto the next step in their lives.  Albuquerque was a great experience and an opportunity to move our program forward.  I am very proud of this team this year and we hope to have both the men's and women's teams represent Marion Military Institute at the 2020 NJCAA Cross Country Championships in Iowa next year," added Coach Balentine as he reflected on this season.