GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Saturday, October 26, the Spring Arbor University Men's Cross Country team competed in the 6^th annual Great Lakes Challenge. They finished 11^th overall in the 8k race amidst a field of 39 teams, scoring 346 points.

Kyle Anderson led the way with a 5^th overall finish and a time of 24:59, slipping under the prestigious 25:00 mark and giving Spring Arbor a strong front-runner performance.

Kam Mills (8^th finisher for the Cougars) has run with Kyle for four years and gave this response to Kyle's race; "Kyle Anderson is showing that he can run toe to toe with almost anyone in the NAIA."

Simon Reidsma finished second for the Cougars taking 71st place with a time of 26:36 improving his best time two seconds, which he had set earlier in the year at the Lansing Invitational. Nathan Anderson came next for Spring Arbor running a 26:52, tying his PR, and finishing in 87^th place.

Tyler Babinec was the fourth Cougar to cross the line running a 27:16 and placing 120^th overall. Rounding out the top five for Spring Arbor was Noah Haverdink who took 103th place with a time of 27:23.

The 8k race was hosted by the Aquinas Cross Country team and took place at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids. Although the park is sizable enough for a large race, 387 runners still made for a scrappy first mile.

"The crowd was like a pack of wild banshees, throwing elbows with reckless abandon," said senior Jared Lauber.  "It was every man for himself, except of course for our SAU wolf pack which ran strong and united."

Head Coach Dante Ottolini had a few thoughts of his own after the race,

"It has been a tough season with three of our top 5 from last year on the mend," said Ottolini.  "However, it has been a great opportunity for our younger guys to step up. The goal today was to get one step closer to being at our team best for the league championship.  I felt we did just that today."

"Going into league we will have to show up and race at our top potential to complete for the top spot, but it is not out of our reach," said Kam Mills.

The Cougars next race will be the Crossroads League championships, taking place on November 9 at Grace College. They will be battling for the league title and a birth to the NAIA Nationals meet.