Castillo and Vincent Lead a Wave of RU Runners at 8K Event

Castillo and Vincent Lead a Wave of RU Runners at 8K Event
September 10, 2023

Milledgeville, GA - Reinhardt Cross Country competed in the 5th Annual Brickyard Cross Country event on Friday, September 8th hosted by Georgia Military College.  Both the Men's and Women's Teams had runners for the meet.

Coach Austin Brenner's runners had a good showing with the Men's Team coming away with the first-place title and placing five runners in the Top 10.

Leading the way for the Eagles was senior Salvador Castillo who placed 3rd overall and the top NAIA runner with a time of 26:05 in the 8k event.  Following closely behind Castillo in 4th position was fellow Eagle, Tom Vincent, who finished with a time of 27:28. Castillo and Vincent have been top runners for the Eagles for the past several years always producing great results.

Three freshmen finished in the Top 10 in 7th, 8th, and 9th place overall - which is a very impressive accomplishment in their first-ever official college cross-country meet.  Braniff Mahoney, Noah Jones, and Jorge Mares placed in 7th - 9th place respectively helping the Eagles win the overall 1st place title. Mahoney finished with the time of 28:14, Jones 28:30, and Mares 28:32.  It was a great showing from the freshmen and it gives Coach Brenner an idea of what his team can do when veterans like Castillo and Vincent graduate from the program.

Also notable were Arat Joanico and Will Ort who both finished in the Top 20 of the event. Joanico was 13th overall with a time of 29:34 and Ort was in 17th position at 30:07.

For the Women's Team, Megan Johnson, Sara James, and Maleah Heath were the top finishers for the Eagles.  Johnson was the top runner for Reinhardt Women finishing in 15th place overall with a time of 23:56 in the 5k event. James was 21st overall with a time of 24:39 and Maleah Heath finished with a time of 32:40. This was the first official collegiate race for Johnson and James.

5th GMC Annual Brickyard Meet Highlights

  • Salvador Castillo- 26:05 (4th Fastest Race as a Senior, 2nd Fastest Season Opener in Reinhardt History)
  • Tom Vincent- 27:28 (7th Fastest Season Opener in Reinhardt History)
  • Braniff Mahoney- 28:14 (5th Fastest Debut Race in Reinhardt History)
  • Noah Jones- 28:30 (10th Fastest Debut Race in Reinhardt History)
  • Megan Johnson- 23:56 (Reinhardt Debut)
  • Sara James- 24:39 (Reinhardt Debut)

 

The Eagles will be running again this Friday, September 15th, at the University of North Georgia Invitational.

 

For a complete look at the 5th Annual Brickyard Cross Country standings, please see the following link:

https://www.tfrrs.org/results/xc/21279/5th_GMC_Brickyard_Invitational