BIG SPRING, Pa. – Chris Jones (Centreville, Va./Centreville) finished ninth in the short race to lead McDaniel to a 10th place overall finish at the Dickinson Long-Short Invitational in men's cross country action on Saturday.
Behind a pair of top-13 finishers, the Green Terror finished fourth among the 16 teams in the 4,000-meter short race with 48 points – two points behind third-place Penn State-Behrend.
Jones, who was the top freshman in the race, and Peter Merkel (Ellicott City, Md./Homeschool) both bettered McDaniel's previous best time on the course. Jones crossed in a time of 13:16.9 while Merkel was 13th in a time of 13:28.7.
Colin LaPenta (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) finished 39th overall in the race with a time of 14:10.0.
On the 8,000-meter course that will host the 2012 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional, Calvin Ball (Westminster, Md./Westminster) led the Green Terror. Ball crossed 117th in a time of 29:35.0.
As a team, McDaniel was 20th of the 26 complete teams with 264 points.
The Green Terror returns to action at the Messiah Invitational on Saturday.
Combined Team Scores^: 1. Dickinson 41, 2. York (Pa.) 152, 3. Muhlenberg 181, 4. Gwynedd-Mercy 186, 5. PSU-Behrend 190, 197. Swarthmore 197, 7. Juniata 207, 8. King's 219, 9. Geneva 292, 10. McDaniel 312, 11. Frostburg 334, 12. PSU-Berks 394, 13. Lycoming 488, 14. Garrett 542.
McDaniel Short-Course Results (4,000 meters, 112 competitors): 9. Chris Jones 13:16.9, 13. Peter Merkel 13:28.7, 39. Colin LaPenta 14:10.0, 73. Reid Palman 15:27.4, 108. Richie Rutkin 19:17.5.
McDaniel Long-Course Results (8,000 meters, 233 competitors): 117. Calvin Ball 29:35.0, 161. Graham Miles 30:43.0, 213. Jason Stein 34:01.0, 232. Matthew Christopher 42:00.0.
^ only complete teams in both races are listed in team standings
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