SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The No. 18-ranked St. Olaf College men's cross country team recorded a 13th-place finish in the 32-team field at the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning at Roger Milliken Center.
Led by a second consecutive All-America performance from senior
Kevin Turlington, St. Olaf compiled 351 points to outperform its national ranking by five spots and log its sixth consecutive top-20 national finish in a row. The Oles were sandwiched between No. 9-ranked UChicago and No. 10-ranked Williams College while finishing ahead of six teams ranked higher in the most recent U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll.
Turlington improved 11 spots from his finish one year ago by placing 12th (24:12.3) to pick up his second All-America (top 40) accolade in a row. The senior's 12th place finish is the highest by an Ole since Logan Bocovich '23 was eighth in 2022 and the second highest in the last 10 years.
In his second national meet, senior
Gael Manzur Strandlund finished 50th (24:50.3) for a 39-spot rise from last season. Senior
Jack Deaver also easily outperformed is finish from one year ago by placing 108th (25:23.3) after taking 230th last year. In their first national meets, senior
Eli Doran placed 133rd (25:34.2) and junior
Alex Bjork was 171st (25:46.8) to factor into the Oles' team score.
First year
Cooper Gundersen and senior
Ignatius Fitzgerald also ran in the meet, with Gundersen finishing 213th (26:06.8) and Fitzgerald 279th (27:10.7).