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Saints Men Return to NAIA National Cross-Country Meet
Posted: Nov 14, 2023

Saints Men Return to NAIA National Cross-Country Meet

Recap

KANSAS CITY, MO. (Nov. 14, 2023) - The final field for the 68th annual NAIA Men's Cross- Country National Championship has been released as 36 teams and 85 individuals have qualified. The field will prepare to race on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. PT at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course in Vancouver, Wash.

Head Coach Patrick Torres commented, "This men's team is one exceptional day away from a top 20 team finish. If some of our freshmen step up we could see something special."

The men's cross-country team won its eighth Red River Athletic Conference title (2022 championship was forfeited). Kruz Malesich placed second for the Saints with a time of 26:17, followed by Vincent Garza with a time of 26:26 for third place, JoseCarlos Hernandez with a time of 26:29 for fourth place, Sebastian Moreno with a time of 26:49 for seventh place, Anthony Perez with a time of  27:00 for eighth place, Hector Puente with a time of 27:08 for ninth place and Jose Saucedo with a time of 27:35 for 10th place. All made the All-Conference Team Other finishers for the Saints were Tony Favella with a time of 27:45 for 11th place and Sigifredo Salinas with a time of 27:54 for 12th place. All nine will participate in the national meet.

Qualifier Notes

  • 2023's championship will be the eighth that has taken place at Fort Vancouver
  • This year's field is made-up of 23 automatic qualifiers, 12 at-large berths and one host berth. A team may qualify with an automatic berth by winning its conference championship meet or as the runner-up in the championship meet provided the conference has 12 or more schools and the runner-up is rated in the top 30 of the final NAIA Men's Cross Country rating.
  • The 12, at-large berths were determined by the final NAIA Men's Cross-Country rating and reviewed by the NAIA Men's Cross Country Championship Oversight Committee.
  • In addition to the team qualifiers, 85 individuals qualified for the championship based on their times throughout the year.
  • The 2023 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship will be streamed live exclusively on the NAIA Network. To access the live stream or to purchase a race pass, click HERE!