COMPLETE RESULTS

The High Point University men's cross country team closed out the season with a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional on Saturday in Louisville, Ky. The Panthers were paced by sophomore Patrick Crawford, who placed 38th.

"As a whole it was a good day but not a great day. Our goal was top 10 and we weren't there," said HPU head coach Mike Esposito. "Patrick engaged really well. He and Jacob Smith ran significantly faster than last year. It was a quick race with perfect weather. The course was in really good shape so the times were all fast."

Crawford led High Point in four of his six races this season, finishing the 10K course in 31:11.9. Jacob Smith, a junior who consistently paired with Crawford in HPU's top two this year, placed 56th in 31:36.9. Senior Neal Darmody placed 76th in 32:03.9.

Sophomore John Yankello benefitted from the additional 2,000 meters and was High Point's fourth finisher, coming in 125th overall in 33:02.1. Senior Mike Ali finished his cross country career with a 131st place finish and a time of 33:11.6.

Freshman Reece Ayers lost a shoe about 4,000 meters into the 10K race and struggled to a 165th-place finish. He was HPU's sixth finisher in a time of 34:10.6. Junior Dakota Peachee has struggled with injuries over the last month and didn't finish the race.

NC State dominated the race with 68 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Eastern Kentucky and third-place finisher William & Mary. Liberty was the top Big South school in 11th place followed by HPU in 15th and VMI in 24th. NC State's Ryan Hill won the race.

Darmody and Ali were the only seniors in HPU's top seven at the end of the season. In addition to the five who will return from Saturday's race, the Panthers will bring back six other runners for next cross country season including freshman Jeff LaCoste.

"The numbers we're returning along with the recruits we hope to add for next year are very encouraging," said Esposito. "It's time to get our consistent volume up to keep building for the future."

High Point finished second at the Big South Championship for the fifth year in a row. Crawford, Smith and Darmody earned All-Conference honors and Darmody was named Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year.