SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – It was a highly successful run for the MACU Men's Cross Country team at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships ran at Pollard's Field on Saturday morning as the Evangels recorded their highest ever finish in third in the 8k meet while Lucky Maila, Jaden Rodriguez, and Jonathan Avila garnered All-SAC honorees.

The women's team came away with a seventh-place finish in the 6k event.
 
MEN'S RACE

• Distance: 8000-meter (8k)
• Number of Teams: 10
• Number of Finishers: 84
• Top Finishers:
  • Lucky Maila
    • Time: 25:27.30; Place: 3^rd (3)
  • Jaden Rodriguez
    • Time: 25:29.56; Place: 4^th (4)
  • Jonathan Avila
    • Time: 26:21.52; Place: 14^th (14)
• Team Notes:
  • Despite being without one of its top runners in Mohamed Zairi, the MACU Men's Cross Country team still put together an incredible result at the SAC Championships, scoring a third-place finish with 68 points, placing only four points behind race host John Brown for second with 64 and a massive 47 points in-front of College of the Ozarks (115) in fourth.
  • Lucky Maila was MACU's top finisher in the meet, recording the second-fastest 8k time in program history with a 25:27.30 to finish in third and collect the first of three All-SAC honors for the Evangels.
  • For the second-straight year, Jaden Rodriguez is garnering All-SAC accolades after finishing right behind Maila in fourth place, posting a season-best time of 25:29.56 for the third-best time in MACU's 8k record book.
  • After putting together a stellar regular season freshman campaign for MACU, Jonathan Avila also saw himself collect All-SAC acclaim when he crossed the finish line in 26:21.52 to place 14^th in the 8k event.
  • Another outstanding freshman, Xadrian Hernandez posted the Evangels' fourth-best result, scoring 22 points behind his 22^nd-place finish at 26:59.47 while sophomore Aidan Collins rounded out MACU's scoring marks with a 25^th place finish in 27:11.34.
  • It was a marked improvement on the whole for the MACU Men's Cross Country team after finishing fifth in last year's SAC Championship and fourth in the 2023 SAC title race.
  • With a team time of 2:11:29, Mid-America Christian set its second-fastest record in its books after posting a 2:09:41 in MToissouri Southern Stampede back on Sept. 20 and shattered its best time set in the SAC Championships by more than six minutes.

WOMEN'S RACE

• Distance: 6000-meters (6k)
• Number of Teams: 9
• Number of Finishers: 62
• Top Finishers:
  • Kaylee Campbell
    • Time: 27:31.06; Place: 32^nd (31)
  • Cora Eyler
    • Time: 27:43.72; Place: 35^th (34)
  • Lisa Hernandez-Cruz
    • Time: 27:43.72; Place: 37^th (36)
• Team Notes:
  • Overall, the MACU Women's Cross Country team finished seventh of the nine teams competing in the 6k race, scoring 178 points to place six points better than Texas Wesleyan and 80 points in-front of Science & Arts.
  • Kaylee Campbell was MACU's best runner in the meet, scoring a 32^nd place time of 27:31.06 to net 31 points and mark the ninth-fastest 6k time in MACU's record book.
  • Cora Eyler also placed herself back in MACU's 6k book with the 10^th fastest time of 27:41.32 to place 35^th overall to score 34 points for the Evangels.
  • Lisa Hernandez-Cruz and Jessie Foster-Anderson placed back-to-back in 37^th and 38^th place with times of 27:43.72 and 27:45.18.
  • Londyn Medrano was MACU's last scoring runner with a time of 28:23:07 to net a 43^rd place finish to score 40 points.

 

Men's 8k (8000-Meters)
Name	Time	Place	Score
Lucky Maila	25:27.30	3rd	3
Jaden Rodriguez	25:29.56	4th	4
Jonathan Avila	26:21.52	14th	14
Xadrian Hernandez	26:59.47	22nd	22
Aidan Collins	27:11.34	25th	25
Daniel Ponce	27:20.58	28th	(27)
Connor Gerth	27:36.26	30th	(29)
Cannan Motley	27:45.20	34th	--
Collin Seely	28:09.62	39th	--
James Valdez	28:22.02	41st	--
Chase Cotarello	28:39.88	42nd	--
Blake Jensen	29:11.19	45th	--
Jawad Salame	30:42.37	57th	--
Saulo Castro	30:55.88	58th	--
Jonathan Figueroa	31:52.58	63rd	--

 
 

Women's 6k (6000-Meters)
Name	Time	Place	Score
Kaylee Campbell	27:31.06	32nd	31
Cora Eyler	27:41.32	35th	34
Lisa Hernandez-Cruz	27:43.72	37th	36
Jessie Foster-Anderson	27:45.18	38th	37
Londyn Medrano	28:23.07	43rd	40
Kaia Henry	30:57.35	50th	(45)
Ellen Campos	31:00.77	51st	(46)