LOUISVILLE, Ky.— The Montreat men's cross country squad ran in the Louisville Cross Country Classic Saturday morning. A total of 326 finishers across 32 teams competed. Montreat finished 28^th in the team standings, concluding its day with 694 points. The Cavs were 10 points behind the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and 19 points ahead of UNC Asheville.
 
Montreat earned the third-highest finish among NAIA schools running the 8k. The Cavaliers also beat out four NCAA Division I programs in their effort.
 
Individually, Ronald Way was Montreat's best finisher. He placed 86^th with a showing of 25:12.9. Behind him, Philip Riddle ran a great race, finishing in 135^th with a time of 25:33.1.
 
Brock Lauer was one of two Montreat runners to break a personal best during the event. His 150^th-place performance clocking a time of 25:38.6 surpassed his old record by just over 20 seconds. Ryan Stade finished the day in 161^st, crossing the finish line with a mark of 25:42.4.
 
Elijah Eppley also notched a personal best in his race. His placement of 223^rd with an effort of 26:19.8 smashed his own record by nearly 55 seconds. Rounding out the field for Montreat was Hunter Smathers. He finished with a time of 27:03.9, which earned him a 280^th-place finish.

"This was a great team race for our crew," said head coach Rylan Hincher. "We solidified our one-through-five split and beat some quality programs. This is the strongest field we will see all year, including nationals. I am proud of our men fighting and putting together the performance they did today."
 
To see the full results from the Louisville Cross Country Classic, click here.
 
The Cavaliers will continue their season and compete in the NAIA Appalachian Challenge, hosted by Tennessee Wesleyan University, as their next event. The race is being held in Knoxville, Tenn. on Oct. 24.