Lumberjacks go back to back, Knight edges Baxter

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Another fantastic finish for Syracuse senior Justyn Knight and one more impressive showcase for the Northern Arizona men's cross country team led to titles for both Saturday at the NCAA Division 1 Championships at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.

Northern Arizona nearly swept the individual and team titles, but Knight held off Lumberjacks' standout Matthew Baxter by less than a second in a dramatic conclusion to the 10-kilometer race.

Knight, who edged Stanford's Grant Fisher by less than a second Oct. 13 at the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational, clocked 29 minutes, 00.11 seconds and Baxter ran 29:00.78.

That was the only outcome that didn't go in Northern Arizona's favor, as Tyler Day finished third in 29:04.56 and Peter Lomong was eighth in 29:33.1 to lead the Lumberjacks to a 74-127 victory over Portland. Andy Trouard (29:58.1) was 35th and Geordie Beamish (30:01.1) took 40th for Northern Arizona, which became the first men's team to repeat since Colorado in 2013-14.

Brigham Young, which was seeking its first national title, was led by freshman Casey Clinger (29:46.3) in 24th and placed third with 165 points. Connor McMillan (29:52.3) took 30th for the Cougars.

Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse (29:38.9) finished 11th and Jeff Thies (29:40.6) was 14th for Portland, which finished second to BYU at the West Coast Conference finals, before winning the West Region.

Fisher placed fifth in 29:12.1 for Stanford, which was fourth with 221 points. Alex Ostberg (29:41.7) and Steven Fahy (29:42.1) were 16th and 17th for the Cardinal.

Arkansas, led by Jack Bruce finishing 13th (29:39.5), was fifth with 259 points. Alabama's Gilbert Kigen, who won the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 title last year, finished fourth in his NCAA debut in 29:11.9.