The Waynesburg University men’s cross country team finished sixth overall this past Saturday in Meadville at the Allegheny Classic in a field of 10 teams at the event. The performance was a considerable jump from an eighth-place finish last season at the same meet.

The Jackets were led by sophomore Matt Durgin who placed 52nd out of 116 runners with a time of 22:51.

Rounding out the top three for the Jackets were sophomores Nate Jecelin, who finished 54th with a time of 22:56, and Jordan Payne, who ran a 22:59 and placed 55th overall.

Head coach Chris Hardie was especially pleased with Payne’s performance during the competition, noting that his pacing strategy worked nearly to perfection considering how early it is in the season.

“He executed the strategy really well,” Hardie said.

According to Hardie, this was a competitive meet with many regionally and nationally ranked teams in the competition. Three other Presidents’ Athletic Conference teams also competed in the match in Washington & Jefferson, Chatham and Thiel.

Despite the stacked field, The Jackets were still able to hit their team’s meet goals. Waynesburg also edged out Chatham, who finished seventh, and Thiel, who placed tenth, in the competition.

Three more sophomores joined the top six for Waynesburg. Mac Colomb completed the race 62nd with a time of 23:15, Matt Mansfield finished 74th with a time of 23:55 and Kyle Warmbein placed 75th with a time of 24:01. Junior Jared Scott finalized Jacket competition for the day finishing 77th with a time of 24:04.

Carnegie Mellon won the team title, while Washington & Jefferson’s Harley Moyer broke the tape in 20:30.

Hardie is enthusiastic about his team’s recent performance as the Jackets continue to consistently progress to their yearly goal to place third at the PAC Championship meet. The goal, he said, is to continue to push each individual runner each week to get them to their full potential at the right time of the season.

“They are working hard throughout the week and staying focused and motivated,” said Hardie.

The PAC Championships are still a little over a month out, and Waynesburg has three more meets before the first big test of the year Oct. 27. The Jackets will be back in action next week to host the Waynesburg Invitational at the Greene County Airport. Start time is set for 11 a.m.