The Master's University men's cross country team won its home meet Saturday, taking the team title at the TMU Invitational at Central Park with 35 points, edging Embry-Riddle Arizona (41) by six points in a tight battle at the top of the standings.
Freshman Andrew Fastrup led the way for the Mustangs, winning the individual title with a time of 24:37.2 over the 8K course, covering the race at a 4:57 per-mile pace. Elijah Lovett was right behind him in fourth overall (24:45.0), and Hunter Roy rounded out TMU's front pack in seventh (24:50.7), with all three finishing within 14 seconds of the individual winner.
Brad Sauer (11th, 25:05.4) and Elijah Rojas (12th, 25:11.0) gave the Mustangs five scorers inside the top 12, while Bauer Hollman added a 14th-place finish (25:14.2) and Isaiah Fastrup closed out the top seven in 23rd (25:38.5).
TMU's pack ran tightly together, with the first five scorers separated by just 34 seconds, a key factor in holding off a talented Embry-Riddle Arizona squad that had three runners finish in the top eight, including runner-up Dillon Eisner (24:41.2). Westmont took third as a team with 116 points, followed by CSUMB in fifth and Fresno Pacific in sixth, in a field that included more than 20 collegiate programs.
The win extends the Mustangs' strong tradition at their home invitational as they continue building toward the GSAC Championships and NAIA postseason later this fall.
