ASHLAND, Neb. — The Columbia College cross country teams competed at the Blazing Tiger Classic on Saturday, with the men placing fifth and the women placing 13th. Seniors Kalieb Haileselassie and Hailey Gerard led their squads, finishing fifth and 10th, respectively.

The women scored 347 points, finishing 13th among 28 teams and 27 points behind No. 23 Southern Oregon. No. 1 Dordt won the team title with 104 points, followed by No. 9 Benedictine (Kan.) with 134 and SCAD with 160. Gerard covered the 6K course in 22:28.7, just over a minute behind individual champion Grace Steinmetz of Bellevue (21:28.3). Junior Lauren Berhorst followed in 50th at 23:46.6, and freshman Ellie Hartley placed 81st at 24:23.6. Senior Xavia Cullers (98th, 24:41.9) and sophomore Nataly Gutierrez (168th, 25:45.8) rounded out the Cougars' scoring five. Sophomore Brenley Webb (214th, 26:23.7) and senior Paige Thielen (241st, 26:57.7) were the sixth and seventh Cougars across the line, and freshmen Addison Shoffner (251st) and Kenzie Miller (255th) also competed.

The men, who are receiving votes in the latest national poll, scored 147 points to place fifth of 27 teams, finishing 15 points behind fourth-place No. 17 St. Mary (Kan.) and 44 points ahead of sixth-place Benedictine (Kan.). No. 2 Southern Oregon won the team title with 73 points, followed by Mid-America Christian (115) and No. 19 Dordt (119). Haileselassie covered the 8K course in 24:47.4, just 36.1 seconds behind individual champion Mohamed Guled of Mid-America Christian (24:11.3). Senior Will Cherrington followed in 18th at 25:29.5, and sophomore Sean Wigger placed 38th at 25:54.5. Freshman Landen Chapman (25:58.9) was 43rd and junior Marcos Lara (26:02.3) was 46th to complete the scoring five, which finished within 1:14.9 of one another. Senior Ryan Brown (64th, 26:23.9) and junior Laik Graham (76th, 26:34.7) were the sixth and seventh Cougars across the line.

The Cougars return to action on November 5 at the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Championships in Walnut Ridge, Ark.

Women's Columbia finishers:

Pl	Athlete	Time
10	Hailey Gerard	22:28.7
50	Lauren Berhorst	23:46.6
81	Ellie Hartley	24:23.6
98	Xavia Cullers	24:41.9
168	Nataly Gutierrez	25:45.8
214	Brenley Webb	26:23.7
241	Paige Thielen	26:57.7
251	Addison Shoffner	27:11.2
255	Kenzie Miller	27:16.2

Women's Team Results:

Pl	Team	Points
1	No. 1 Dordt	104
2	No. 9 Benedictine (Kan.)	134
3	SCAD	160
4	No. 20 St. Mary (Kan.)	184
5	Mount Mercy	197
6	Kansas Wesleyan	198
7	No. 17 Doane	205
8	No. 21 John Brown	226
9	St. Mary (Neb.)	243
10	Northwestern (Iowa)	282
11	Concordia (Neb.)	286
12	No. 23 Southern Oregon	320
13	Columbia	347
14	Evangel	412
15	Morningside	426
16	Bellevue	479
17	Dickinson State	486
18	Friends	514
19	Hastings	544
20	St. Ambrose	546
21	Montana Western	548
22	William Woods	579
23	William Penn	634
24	Okla. Panhandle	639
25	Tabor	646
26	Midland	654
27	Dakota Wesleyan	701
28	Cottey	839

Men's Columbia finishers:

Pl	Athlete	Time
5	Kalieb Haileselassie	24:47.4
18	Will Cherrington	25:29.5
38	Sean Wigger	25:54.5
43	Landen Chapman	25:58.9
46	Marcos Lara	26:02.3
64	Ryan Brown	26:23.9
76	Laik Graham	26:34.7
97	Nicky Yaros	26:57.2
117	Wesley Robertson	27:15.4
123	Max Stephan	27:20.3
136	Daniel Menefee	27:28.4
154	Dryst Bostick	27:38.1
249	Noah Bredehoeft	28:56.7
260	TJ Evans	29:05.6
386	Nick Hunkins	33:02.5

Men's Team Results:

Pl	Team	Points
1	No. 2 Southern Oregon	73
2	Mid-America Christian	115
3	No. 19 Dordt	119
4	No. 17 St. Mary (Kan.)	132
5	RV Columbia	147
6	Benedictine (Kan.)	191
7	Doane	208
8	Kansas Wesleyan	240
9	Mount Mercy	280
10	Evangel	285
11	Bellevue	294
12	Concordia (Neb.)	295
13	Northwestern (Iowa)	297
14	John Brown	308
15	Friends	414
16	Dakota State	457
17	William Penn	498
18	Midland	526
19	Bethel (Kan.)	571
20	Dickinson State	581
21	Montana Western	642
22	Hastings	642
23	Tabor	722
24	Sterling	737
25	St. Ambrose	754
26	Briar Cliff	801
27	Missouri Valley	810