Senior Wilbourn Kosgei, Ben Hall, and Olivia Mills are all set to compete this Saturday morning at Fort Vancouver State Preserve for the 2009 NAIA National Cross Country Championship!  The men's 8K race begins at 10:30am, followed by the women's 5K at 11:45am. 

The team arrived safely in Portland, Oregon on Thursday afternoon and wasted no time before having a light practice at the championship site.   

"The course is fair and rolling.  I think it's going to be super muddy and sloppy," said Coach Larios.  "It's a great honor to represent Montreat College out here.  There are so many great teams and runners.  Our athletes are ready to give their best effort and make the most of this memorable trip."

On Friday evening, the Cavaliers took a trip to the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.  They attended the NAIA championship banquet at the Tiger Wood Center; the banquet was followed by the annual pre-race Champions of Character award ceremony.  Montreat's Ben Hall  was recognized as a 2009 NAIA Scholar-Athlete. 

This championship race will serve as Wilbourn Kosgei's final collegiate cross country meet.  Kosgei has qualified for four consecutive NAIA National Cross Country Championships.  This year will be Ben Hall's second consecutive trip to nationals while  Olivia Mills, recognized as an AAC All-Freshman, will be representing Montreat College in her first national championship.

Official results of both races may be found on the NAIA Cross Country Championship results page.

You would think that breaking a school record would highlight the recent trip to Kentucky by the Cavalier cross country team.  But, it was the event that occurred the day before that made their trip one of the most memorable in recent years.

"We were blessed to work out our travel plans so that we could leave a day earlier and make a stop in Wheelwright, Kentucky," said Coach Larios.  "Wheelwright is an old coal mining town in eastern Kentucky.  We met some awesome people while giving a little of our time helping some brothers and sisters in Christ."

The Cavalier cross country team served along side of some local residents and some members of Grace Community Church in a slow, misty rainy Friday while they re-roofed a house that was in desperate need of repair.

"I felt that the mission of the trip was for us to share Christ's love through a day of service, but I think we were the one's that took away so much of his love through the hospitality and passion of our friends in Wheelwright," added Coach Larios.

"During the forties, Wheelwright was on the cutting edge of excitement and amenities.  Everything was owned by the mining company, but homes were very comfortable for a coal town, a golf course was accessible for all employees and the town had an Olympic-sized swimming pool for the community," shared Wheelwright's Pastor Ray Grindstaff.  "Obviously, the town has died since the mine shut down, and everything is not like it used to be.  Many families here struggle in many ways."

"I'm reminded of the verse in the Bible where Jesus says that the last shall be first and the first shall be last," added sophomore Jared Nielsen. "Pastor Grindstaff and his wife sold everything they had to answer God's call to minister to the people of Wheelwright.  Even in this small desolute town, God is working in mighty ways.  Pastor Grindstaff and his wife were such an encouragement to me."

Some of the Cavaliers spent the morning pulling off the old shingles and replacing some roof in order to prep it for the new shingles.  Others weeded and cleaned the yard, at both the home and the local church.  Some Lady Cavaliers hand painted some Christmas ornaments that will be sold in order to raise some money for their church. 

"It was a great day for us," said Coach Larios. "We were blessed to see such amazing hearts on fire for Jesus.  We obviously took away more than we served.  I'm excited to return soon and revisit our friends."

The Cavaliers then headed to Louisville to participate in the Southeast Classic held on Saturday morning.  The Cavaliers only competed with a partial squad, but those that competed represented Montreat very well. 

Montreat was led by Wilbourn Kosgei's 8th place finish out of 216 runners.  His time of 25:54.8 broke his old school record of 25:55.6, which Kosgei set at last year's AAC championship meet.  On the women's side, Montreat was led by Elisabeth Elliott's 21:10 5K performance.

Montreat will now take one week off as they make their final preparation for the AAC cross country championships which will be held at the Black Mountain Campus on November 7th.  More information about the championship race can be found by clicking 2009 AAC XC Championships.

Complete results of the Southeast Classic can be found HERE.

The Cavalier cross country teams competed this past Saturday at the highly competitive Furman Invitational.  The Paladin's home course is considered a true and challenging course and it has played host to two NCAA national championships.

"I thought it was a bit muggy out there with some soft conditions.  Running on a rolling golf course isn't bad if it's dry.  All in all, after cross referencing our competition with those teams that race against our AAC competition, I feel we did fairly well," said Coach Larios. "The times weren't great, but Ben Hall, Daniel Dunn, and Kayla Suiter competed well."

The Cavaliers continue to gain fitness, sort out racing plans, and gain the confidence they will need as they host the 2009 AAC Championships on the Black Mountain Campus this November 7th.

"Our goal is always the AAC's,"  added Larios.  "Obviously, some of our athletes have an opportunity to compete at nationals, but it all has to happen at conference.  We will continue to train through some of these meets in order to give our kids the best opportunity to run well in November.  Whether they step up to compete rests on their shoulders."

The Cavaliers were led by Ben Hall's 33rd place 8k finish in 28:30.  Team captain Daniel Dunn hit the finish line in 29:10 in 46th place. 

"Again, the times weren't great, as they never are at Furman but they competed the way they will need to do so at conference.  These two guys are paying a special price," said Larios.

The Lady Cavaliers were led by sophomore Kayla Suiter.  Suiter crossed the line in 54th place with a time of 22:11. 

"This may have been Kayla's best performance yet.  She is really making a statement in her training and now it's carrying over to her competitions," said Larios.  "Another positive performance came from Olivia Mills.  She's been under the weather for some time, but she seems to be making a daily improvement."

Kayla is normally the Lady Cavalier's number four runner, so it was no surprise that her performance at Furman earned her this week's AAC Runner of the Week award.

The Cavaliers are back in action at Appalachian State University this Friday night.  The Cavs will compete against many NCAA D-I and D-II schools from throughout the southeast. 

Full Men's 8K Results

Full Women's 5K Results