GAMBIER - The Otterbein men's cross country team opened the 2024 season with a bang as junior Payne Ratliff and sophomore Mitch Green finished 1-2 to lead the Cardinals to a first-place finish at the Port Kenyon Opener on Friday.

The Basics

• The event was a 6K race held at Kenyon College in Gambier.
• Full Results

Race Results

• The Cardinals scored 27 points and placed first of five teams at the meet. 
• Kenyon College was second with 52 points followed by Mount Vernon Nazarene with 90 points.
• The Cardinals had five runners post a personal-best time. 

Top Otterbein Performers

• The Cardinals had six runners finish in the top 15 in the 70-man field.
• Ratliff won the race with a time of 19:33.
• Green was second in 19:42.
• Junior Ian Clevinger was sixth in 20:05.
• Sophomore Corey Rafferty was ninth in 20:22.
• Junior David Hartman was 12th in 20:32.
• Sophomore Brady Pugh was 13th in 20:34.
• Sophomore Caleb Rafferty was 17th in 20:42.

Notables

• Ratliff, Green, Clevinger, Hartman and Pugh all posted personal-best times for a 6K race.
• Ratliff's previous best time was 19:34, and Green's was 20:01.