The men’s cross country team finished in fifth place out of 11 teams at the Westminster Fisher Invitational August 31. The Jackets were led by freshman Jac Cokley who finished 17th overall. The Cochranton, Pennsylvania  native, finished four spots ahead of the next Waynesburg athlete  which in part surprised head coach Chris Hardie.

“I do know that he is talented and I knew he would be a big contributor at some point in his career,” Hardie said. “I am surprised he made such a big impact in his first race though.  Sometimes the distance can be difficult for freshman running the 8K, but he handled it very well and the future is extremely bright for him.”

Waynesburg’s top five runners finished within seven spots of each other, which was the most among all of the teams that had seven athletes finish the race.

For a team that has not had a better finish than fifth in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference since 2015, Hardie reflected on the first meet as a step forward. 

“I was pleased with the effort,” he said.  “The men worked extremely hard this offseason and are focused on climbing the rankings in the PAC.  They took a step in the right direction on Friday night.”

Four Jackets finished in four consecutive places from 21st through 24th place. This included four juniors: Mac Colomb, Matt Durgin, Jordan Payne and Nathan Jecelin.

Hardie believes the growth and development of these juniors will help guide the team’s success as the season continues.

“They really work well together in practice, and it is starting to show in races,” Hardie said. “They all have contrasting running styles, but they know what to expect from each other and have started to use this as an advantage. They really feed off of each other in the races, and it is amazing to watch how they have progressed as a team.  Individually, they have work to put in and are committed to being the best version of themselves.”

The men are back in action Sept. 7 at the Bethany College Invitational.