POINT LOOKOUT, MO -- The Bob Jones University Bruins men's cross country team had a dominant performance on Saturday at the NCCAA DII National Championship Meet with five runners finishing in the top ten as the team won their third straight national title.
"It was a great showing by our men today," Bruins Head Coach Landon Bright said. "We went out fairly conservative but were able to have a solid last half of the race. It was our first time on this course and overall I feel we responded well."
The Bruins came into nationals as the favorite after ranking #1 overall in team results for the 2018 season. The Bruins captured both the 2016 and 2017 national championships with strong team performances and the team knew they would need another group effort to win a third title.
Joe Patchen was the story of the race as the junior had an incredible performance to finish 3rd overall with a time of 28:21.29. Sophomore Caleb Davis matched Patchen step for step as he finished 4th overall with a time of 28:22.12. Both finishes earned Patchen and Davis NCCAA DII All-American honors.
The Bruins weren't done as Casey Stroud, Jonathan Bright, and Seth Brown finished in 7th, 8th, and 9th place respectively to help the Bruins score well. Ben Douthit and Nathan Stewart rounded out the finishers for the Bruins as all runners finished in the top-15 of the meet. As a result, the Bruins celebrated as the race came to a close as they knew they had captured their third straight national championship.
"We have a great group of guys and I'm very proud of how hard they've worked this season," Coach Bright said. "Our depth has been our strength all year and it was the same today."
It was another memorable season for the men's cross country team as the program won three meets this season, including capturing their first-ever NCCAA South Region Championship. Although the Bruins will graduate five key seniors, several key runners will be returning to the program next season as the team looks to win their 4th consecutive national title.