Mustang quartet competes at national championships

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- National qualifiers Abby Knepper, J'Lyn Knutson, Ryan Clancy, and Ryan Mitchell raced for Mount Mercy at the NAIA Cross Country Championships on Friday at Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course.

Knepper, in her first national championship appearance, finished 211th out of 331 runners in the women's 6K with a time of 24:33.2. Knutson, an individual qualifier for the second year in a row, improved by 25 spots this time around. She placed 233rd in 24:48.3.

The men's field included 328 competitors in the 8K. Mitchell crossed the finish line in 27:25.0 in his debut at the national meet, good for 240th place. Clancy, like Knutson making his second consecutive nationals appearance, finished 286th with a time of 28:20.4.

College of Idaho claimed the red banner for the women's team championship with 68 points while The Master's finished second with 92. Addy Wiley of Huntington was the individual national champion as she completed the 6K course in 21:04.2.

The men's championship was a tight battle, with Milligan edging Saint Mary by just five points, 93-98. It's only the second time in NAIA history that the men's team title was decided by 10 points or less. Adams State and Western State finished in a tie in 1986. Jackson Wilson of Rocky Mountain earned the men's individual crown in 24:31.8.