[RESULTS]
The Master's University welcomed 73 collegiate programs, 31 high school varsity teams and more than 1,500 athletes to Central Park in Santa Clarita on Saturday. But the Mustangs were concerned with much smaller numbers.
The No. 13-ranked Mustang men finished second overall, ahead of No. 6 Embry-Riddle Arizona and No. 10 Lewis-Clark State (ID), a development that could mean a significant jump in the next NAIA poll.
"I definitely think this team can contend for a top four spot in the NAIA," said Master's coach Zach Schroeder, adding, "In our minds, we knew that. But I think today's performance shows we're a top-five team."
Wesley Methum enjoyed a breakout performance for the Mustangs, finishing the 8K course in a time of 25 minutes, 8.7 seconds. It was good for seventh place overall in a field that featured runners from UCLA, UC Santa Barbara and the No. 7-ranked team in NCAA Division 3, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which won the eighth rendition of TMU's home race Saturday.
Stephen Pacheco was the next Mustang to cross the finish line, doing so in 25:17.5 and earning 10th place. Each of TMU's top five runners finished in the top 25, boosting the Mustangs ahead of third-place UCLA and 11th-place Westmont, routinely TMU's toughest competition for the Golden State Athletic Conference title.
"It was a super great opportunity to come out and race against some of these higher ranked teams in the nation," Methum said of finishing ahead of Embry-Riddle and Lewis-Clark. "I know we have a really solid crew this year. We've been training hard for so long. It was a great opportunity to come out and see where we're at, and I think we really performed well."
The Mustangs, whose top-five Saturday included Daniel Rush, Davis Boggess and Josh Nunez, still believe they have plenty of work to do before GSAC Championships in November at Irvine Regional Park. There Master's will seek to earn its 10th straight conference title before turning its eyes to a larger prize.
The Mustangs hope to earn a top-four finish at NAIA nationals, something the program has never done but something that feels more tangible after each meet.
"I think this is the strongest performance of the season so far," Schroeder said. "Every time we've stepped out, we've performed better, and that's what we want to see. There's still a number of things I think we can improve on and that's encouraging. This is not the best we're going be this year. We're on an upward trajectory."
