GALLOWAY, N.J. - On Saturday, Eastern Men's Cross Country competed in the 2024 NCAA DIII Metro Regional Championship hosted by Stockton. Junior Ryle Mellinger ran a personal best time as the Eagles finished in 14th place out of 26 competing teams, the third-highest finish in program history. 

Mellinger finished in 41st place with a time of 26:21.2. It surpassed his previous personal of 26:34.9, which he ran at the Interregional Border Battle earlier this fall. Additionally, his time was the sixth-fastest 8k in program history. 

Robert Walton was second on the Eagles with a time of 26:53.6, while Astin Daniel was third with a time of 28:29.1. First-year Anthony Zamichieli was fourth on the Eagles with a time of 28:34.6, while fellow first-year Jonathan Beltran Garcia rounded out Eastern's top five with a time of 28:38.0. 

"It was another strong performance from our men's team," Eastern Head Coach Kiehl Smith said. "Ryle and Rob took care of business up in the front while our 3-7 finished in a very tight spread to secure a strong team finish. Our 3-6 finished within 9 seconds of each other. It was exciting to see our guys run. Ryle was teetering on the verge of all region territory while our core group were alternating places and working together every time we saw them. This team has put in a ton of work and has grown its depth significantly. They have set themselves up well for a strong year to come."

The 2024 NCAA D3 National Championship will take place next Saturday in Terra Haute, Ind.