POWELL, Ohio & TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Otterbein men's cross country team hit the course as a split squad at two challenging 8K races on Friday night, showcasing strong performances at the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational with multiple personal-best finishes and competing at the NCAA Division III Pre-Nationals.

The Basics

• The OWU Invitational was an 8K race held at Libery Park in Powell, Ohio. The meet consisted of a mix of NCAA Division II, III, NAIA and club teams.
• The Pre-Nationals was an 8K race held at LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Ind., which is the site of this season's NCAA Division III Championship meet. Otterbein competed in the College Championship division, which featured the top 46 teams in the Pre-Nationals Team Rankings.

Race Results - OWU Invitational 

• In the overall standings, the Cardinals scored 279 points and placed eighth of 22 teams. 
• Overall, Ohio State Running Club was first with 78 points, followed by NCAA Division II Ashland with 82 points.
• The Cardinals had three runners post personal-best times.
• Ashland's Nate Slater was first overall in 25:23, and Oberlin's Jonah Barber was second overall in 25:48. 
• Full Results

Top Otterbein Performers at OWU Invitational

• The Cardinals had seven runners finish in the top 78 overall in the 246-man field.
• Freshman Aidan Castillo was Otterbein's top finisher, placing 37th in 26:59.
• Junior Jay Figgins placed 56th in 27:21.
• Junior Jonny Powers placed 58th in 27:23.
• Freshman Joshua Porter placed 64th in 27:29. 
• Senior Cole Benishek placed 72nd in 27:36.
• Senior Dylan Burns placed 76th in 27:41.
• Senior Jacob Littler placed 78th in 27:42.

Race Results - Pre-Nationals

• The Cardinals scored 636 points and placed 22nd of 46 teams. 
• Overall, Pomona-Pitzer was first with 65 points followed by Wisconsin-Whitewater with 82 points. 
• Wisconsin-Whitewater had the top two individual finishers with Gunner Schlender finishing first overall in 24:08 and Christian Patzka finishing second in 24:15.
• Full Results

• The Cardinals had seven runners finish in the top 222 overall in the 405-man field.
• Junior Payne Ratliff led the way for the Cardinals, placing 71st in 25:48.
• Junior Chase Jackson placed 119th in 26:17.
• Sophomore Corey Rafferty placed 141st in 26:28.
• Freshman Tucker See placed 159th in 26:39.
• Sophomore Mitch Green placed 200th in 26:58.
• Sophomore Caleb Rafferty placed 215th in 27:07.
• Junior David Hartman placed 222nd in 27:12.

Notables

• Castillo, Porter, and Burns posted personal-best times for an 8K race at the OWU Invitational.
• The Pre-Nationals College Championship division featured eight teams ranked in the top 30 of the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III National Coaches' Poll.