Men's Cross Country | October 22, 2024

AIKEN, S.C. – The USCA men's cross country team is ready for the upcoming PBC Championship, which will be held Oct. 26 at North Georgia.

Head coach Marshall Leonard's team is coming off a sixth-place effort at the Sand Shark Invitational. Six of his student-athletes garnered personal-best times in just the team's third race of the season (due to the hurricane).

Jacobo Garcia-Rivera led the way with his 30^th-place effort of 27:37.9 for the 8k event. Evan McLeod took 34^th while Zachary Haase and Luis Cruzado posted 37^th and 39^th-place finishes, respectively. Jase Wilson was not far behind them, snagging 50^th place.

During the season, Cruzado picked up two PBC Runner of the Week honors after shattering school records. Garcia-Rivera, McLeod, Haase and Wilson improved their personal-best marks at each race. 

Standout Riley Campbell will be competing in his final PBC Championship after coming off a meet where he notched a personal-best time. Fellow standout Julio Rojas will also vie for a top time during his last league championship.

"We are excited to see where we stand when it comes to the PBC Championships and the other outstanding PBC teams," Leonard stated. "This season has flown by and has been a roller coaster of emotions. We have had some exciting times with individuals running their personal bests, and then having to take time off for hurricane. 

"The guys have stayed positive and have kept their eye on being the best version of themselves. We are expecting each individual to run really well, and to focus on what you can do as an individual. Our philosophy is to enjoy the moment, be aggressive, and battle for spots. Do not walk away from the race and wish that you could have done more, and to their credit, they have done that all season. I look forward to seeing them be successful."

The Pacers will look to improve upon the team's seventh-place effort a season ago at the PBC Championship.