GLASSBORO, N.J.– On a perfect day for racing, Eastern University Men's Cross Country ran to a 23rd place finish at the super-competitive Interregional Border Battle hosted by Rowan University. The Eagles came into he meet looking to post some good times on a fast course against a large field of nationally and regionally ranked teams. Five Eagles posted personal best times in the race.

Ryle Mellinger led the Eagles with a 26:34.9 time over the eight kilometer course. He slashed 14 seconds off his previous personal best set at the Paul Short Invitational earlier this month. Robert Walton finished second for the Eagles less than twenty seconds back. 

With a plan to start aggressively, the Eagles were off the line early. After pushing the pace for the second and third miles, a little bit of distance grew between the Eagles, but. Alate push from Aston Daniel and Levi Weir closed up the gap and helped the Eagles to move ahead of four teams in the standings. Daniel and Weir joined Anthony Zamichieli in a group that finished within one second of each other at the end of the race. Weir and Zamichieli posted career-best times with the run. Less than two seconds later, Tyler Long crossed the line with a PR.


Head Coach Kiehl Smith was pleased with the interchangeable nature of his team and the tight finish of his group.


The Eagles will close out the regular season with a final tune-up race at Lebanon Valley College on Friday in preparation for MAC Championships on Nov. 2.