ADA, Oklahoma – East Central captured its tenth Great American Conference Men’s Cross Championship Championship title as the No. 10 Tigers ran to victory on Saturday from Oak Hills Golf & Country Club. Harding’s Josphat Meli won the individual competition as the Bisons finished second.
The Tigers placed all of their top seven runners inside the top 11. They finished with 26 points, 23 clear of Harding. Brian Mitei led the way with a third-place showing. Amos Pkiach followed in fourth as Melvin Kipkemboi took fifth, Paul Korir earned sixth, Peter Kipkemboi claimed eighth, Oliver Kiptoo finished 10th and Michael Iyali crossed in 11th.
Meli became the first freshman to win the individual title. He finished the 8K course in a time of 24:39.16, more than 20 seconds clear of second place Max Wheeler, from Oklahoma Baptist – the third largest margin in league history. He joins Andrew Evans, 2013, and Dylan Douglas, 2019-2021, as the two Bisons to win the conference championship and garner the Runner of the Year honor. Additionally, he became the fifth Bison named Freshman of the Year.
The Bisons’ Luke Walling finished in seventh to become a four-time First-Team honoree. Noah Haileab, Nate Perry, Arnaud des Boscs, Ryan McCarn and Tucker Allen registered top-20 finishes and spots on the All-GAC Second Team.
Oklahoma Baptist took third in the team competition. Wheeler’s runner-up showing gave him four-straight top-10 showings at the GAC Championships. Wheeler and Walling became just the second and third male GAC runners to earn four First-Team All-GAC honors. Emory Crayton finished in ninth followed by Carson Kardokus in 13th and Ethan Banks in 18th.
Ouachita Baptist edged out Northwestern Oklahoma State for fourth. Gabriel Metoyer finished at the top Tiger. Two Rangers registered top-20 finishes in James Fincher and Christian Franklin.
Southern Arkansas finished in sixth followed by Southern Nazarene and Arkansas-Monticello.
The league also honored its top student athletes with its Elite Scholar Athlete award, presented by Conway Regional Health System and its Academic Honor Roll. Ouachita Baptist’s Noah Embrey, Whit Lawrence and Cade Swindle all received the Elite Scholar honor as all three own perfect 4.00 grade-point averages.
The GAC Academic Honor Roll featured Arkansas Monticello’s Samueal Bostian; East Central’s Ricardo Mijares, Joshua Robertson, Anthony Gustin, Peter Kimaiyo and Maverick Stephenson; Harding’s Tucker Allen, Brady Axtell, Aidan Bailey, Parker Hansen, Nate Perry and Mason Sciba; Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Zachary Cox and Johnathan Ylitalo; Oklahoma Baptist’s Carson Kardukus and Josh Kearse; Ouachita Baptist’s Gabriel Greenwich, Brit Hawkins, Barrett James, Brayden James, Christian Kratz, Cade Martin, Micah Meeks, Josh Tibbs and Zach Wigginton; Southern Arkansas’ Charles Patton; Southern Nazarene’s David Gamas, Keith Howerton, Jacob Humphrey and Will Ramirez.