Cornell captains crack top 20 at Augustana

Cornell men's cross country captains Chase Nowak and Ben Jacobs measured up to the competition, and then some, in a huge field of 403 runners Friday at Augustana's Brissman-Lundeen Invitational at Saukie Golf Course.

Paced by top-20 finishes from the senior tandem, Cornell wound up 12th in the team race. The Rams scored 338 points in a meet that featured 33 teams.

Nowak hung tough with the lead pack and place ninth overall. He covered the 8K layout in 25:13, only two seconds out of sixth place. Jacobs finished 16th with a time of 25:23.

"Chase Nowak and Ben Jacobs ran really well up front," Cornell head coach Dan Schofer said. "I was impressed with how patiently they ran in the first few miles, and then how well they closed late in the race."

The Rams also received a strong effort from their No. 3 runner, CJ Horan. The sophomore shattered his previous personal-best mark by nearly two minutes. Horan posted a time of 27:15 and finished 125th.

Cornell's scoring fivesome included senior Chris Stadler in 142nd place (27:30) and freshman Jacob Butts in 165th (27:49). Freshman Charlie Mesimore clocked in at 28:20 for 206th, followed closely by senior David Kuhlmann in 28:23 for 210th.

"We had some strong performances at Augustana, but we did not run a great team race," Schofer said. "As we get into October, I expect our racing performances to reflect the hard work that this group is putting in this fall."

Cornell hits the road over block break to compete in the Rhodes College Invitational Saturday in Memphis, Tenn. The Rams travel to La Crosse, Wis., for the Jim Crews Invitational Oct. 15. The Iowa Conference Championships are Oct. 29 in Decorah.

President's presence - The Rams had a special guest in their team camp Friday in new Cornell College President Jonathan Brand. Not only did Brand make a welcome appearance in Rock Island, Ill.; he was among the 400-plus runners that laced it up for the men's race.

Brand ran unattached sporting Cornell purple bottoms. He beat 32 runners in the field, finishing in 32:50.

"It is a great thrill to have President Brand so closely associated with our cross country program," Schofer said. "Our athletes have really enjoyed his regular presence at our practices during the first five weeks of the season. It is tremendous for our team and the entire department of athletics to have a president who is such an enthusiastic supporter of the student-athlete experience at Cornell.

"How many student-athletes in the country can share a workout, or even a race, with the president of their college? How cool is that!"