RESULTS

NORTHFIELD, Minn.--Competing against a top-quality field at Saturday's St. Olaf Invitation, the Royals responded to the challenge, finishing in 11th place overall. "We're in a great spot," said head coach Joe Stephens. "We finished right with several of the top teams in the region." The field included the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the defending national champion, as well as several other top DIII programs.
 
Evan Hatton led the squad for the second week in a row, finishing 39th overall. The sophomore completed the 8K course in a time of 27:10.  "Evan showed great promise for his future as a cross country runner," Stephens said.
 
Anders Rasmussen (65^th, 27:41), Sam Nelson (71^st, 27:46), John Mark Shields (98^th, 28:14) and David Huffman (103^rd, 28:17) were the other Royal scorers. Nelson, one of the team's top returners, did not compete last week because of an injury. "He did a great job of running with composure and guts," said Stephens. "It's good to have him back.
 
The performance of Shields also impressed Stephens. "I was excited to see him step up big to be fourth for our team, especially as a freshman," he said.
 
The Royals compete next at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Blugold Invitational, Friday, Sept. 30.