JOPLIN, Mo. – The MACU Men's Cross Country team put together its best ever showing at the NCCAA National Championships at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course on Friday morning as the Evangels came away with second place as a team while Lucky Maila and Jaden Rodriguez earned All-American honors for their top 10 finishes.
 
MEN'S RACE

• Distance: 8000-meters (8k)
• Number of Teams: 10
• Number of Finishers: 83
• Top Finishers:
  • Lucky Maila
    • Time: 25:23.9; Place: 5^th (5)
  • Jaden Rodriguez
    • Time: 25:27.7; Place: 6^th (6)
  • Jonathan Avila
    • Time: 26:42.5; Place: 17^th (16)
• Team Notes:
  • As a team, Mid-America Christian scored 66 team points to place second as a team, finishing ahead of Campbellsville (79) and College of the Ozarks (95) for the No. 2 spot. Malone ended up winning the team event with a score of 33.
  • The team time of 2:11:42 is the third-fastest compiled time in program history, just 13 seconds behind the team's second-best mark set at last week's SAC Championships (2:11:29).
  • Junior Lucky Maila was MACU's best individual finisher, posting the program's first ever top five finish at the NCCAA National Championships with a personal-best time of 25:23.9, resetting his personal second-best mark in MACU's 8k record book after running a 25:27.3 at the SAC Championships last Saturday.
  • For the second-straight year, sophomore Jaden Rodriguez posted a sixth-place finish at the NCCAA National Championships, crossing the line in 25:27.7, marking his fastest 8k time of the 2025 season and setting the fourth-best mark in MACU's 8k record book.
  • Competing in only its third NCCAA National Championship since re-establishing itself as a program in 2023, the results marked the first time MACU came away with two NCCAA All-Americans in the same race.
  • After posting his personal-best time at last week's SAC Championships to earn All-SAC honors, freshman Jonathan Avila once again posted MACU's third-best score at the NCCAA Championship event after crossing the finish line in 26:42.5 to come away with 17^th place.
  • Sophomore Connor Gerth put together his best ever collegiate 8k run to record MACU's fourth-best mark at the NCCAA Championships, blowing away his personal best with a time of 26:46.9 to finish right behind Avila in 17^th. The mark shattered his previous best set at last week's SAC Championships at 27:36.9, beating it by 50 seconds.
  • Aidan Collins rounded out MACU's scoring runs with a 25^th place time of 27:21.3, netting MACU 24 points.

UP NEXT

• The MACU Cross Country season will come to a close at the NAIA National Championships being run at the Apalachee Regional Park in Talahassee, Fla. on Saturday, Nov. 21. After their sensational finishes at the SAC Championships, Lucky Maila and Jaden Rodriguez qualified to compete for the championship race. The 8k title run is slated for a 9:30 AM EST (8:30 AM CST) start.

 

Men's 8k (8000-Meters)
Name	Time	Place	Score
Lucky Maila	25:23.9	5th	5
Jaden Rodriguez	25:27.7	6th	6
Jonathan Avila	26:42.5	17th	16
Connor Gerth	26:46.9	18th	17
Aidan Collins	27:21.3	25th	22
Canaan Motley	27:23.4	28th	(25)
Xadrian Hernandez	27:32.7	31st	(26)
Chase Cotarelo	27:49.0	33rd	--
Collin Seely	28:11.3	38th	--