Cross Country Caps Strong Year With Trip to NAIA National Championships
VANCOUVER, Wash. – (Results) Reinhardt men's cross country wrapped up the 2019 season on Friday in Washington with the running of the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
The Eagles weren't carrying a full team, but were represented by the duo of Jackson Helfrich and Brian Vincent Jr. in the 8K race (4.97 miles).
Helfrich crossed the finish line for the final time as a Reinhardt student-athlete in 81st-place with a time of 26:15.
"Happy for Jackson and Brian to end their season at a National Championship, as that's always a goal for our program each year to have representation at the meet," head coach Jordan Turner said. "They both dealt with a quality field, a tough course and less-than-100 percent health today, but still left it all on the course. Not much I can say about what both guys have and will forever mean to our program and I'm appreciative of what they've done for us.
In the last 10 years, only three men from all of the AAC schools have run at nationals all four years and achieved All-American honors at least once during those races, but today you can add Jackson's name to the prestigious list of athletes from both Milligan and Bryan; that's a tremendous honor and something that is very hard to do… To be ready every year at exactly the right time to make the national meet."
Vincent Jr. was timed at 27:28 for a placement of 226th out of 335 competitors.
"Brian is now our fifth individual qualifier for cross country nationals in Reinhardt history," Turner said. "He's been a staple in our top seven runners all four years and he's earned all the All-Conference accolades these last couple of years. I'm thankful for my time with these guys and look forward to the even brighter futures these men have in life."
The squad now looks ahead to a bright future in 2020.
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