Rakoc 80th, Saints 27th as a Team at NCAA Championships

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Courtesy of Rose-Hulman

Wesley Kirui (356) and Spencer Patterson (359) run in the NCAA Championship

Nov. 17: Senior Sam Rakoc had his best finish in three NCAA Division III Championship races with a 80th place finish and the St. Lawrence University men's cross country team finished 27th in a field of 32 teams at the 2012 championship in Terre Haute, IN on Saturday.

Rakoc ran the eight kilometer course in 25:33.7, averaging 5:09 per mile to improve his finishing spot by five positions over a year ago. He scored 59th for the Saint team which was making its fifth straight appearance in the national championship competition. Tim Nelson, running as an individual entry from Wisconsin-Stout was the 2012 individual champion, winning in 24:26.8.

North Central won the team championship with 167 points with Calvin second with 188 and Haverford third with 189. The Saints finished with a 698 total.
Freshman Wesley Kirui was the second Saint finisher, running 26:16.4 to place 185th overall in a 280 runner field and score138th. Classmate Spencer Patterson finished 191st, scoring 143rd with a 26:18.1 clocking, sophomore Trevor Bibb was 214th, scori

ng 161st with a 26:30.9 time and junior Brendan Courneene completed the Saint scoring, finishing 252nd overall and scoring 197th with a 27:07.6 time.
Freshman Philip Marshall was the sixth Saint runner, finishing 259th overall while Scott Smolensky was 277th in 28:31.0.