VANCOUVER, Wash. – For the middle of November, the weather couldn't have been more reasonable in the Pacific Northwest for the day of the 2023 NAIA Cross Country National Championships, where Fort Vancouver State Park was packed with hundreds of student-athletes and even more cheering fans. Just over an hour away from the campus of Corban University, the No. 17-ranked Warrior Men's Cross Country program took to the national course for the first time in program history, earning 22nd place overall out of 36 teams to finish as one of the top twenty-five teams in the country this season.
"Right after the race, we were a bit disappointed with our finish," Warriors' head coach Todd Bos began with sharing. "But the more we analyzed the results, the more we realized we actually had a decent day. Our strategy to start the race conservatively was executed a bit too well and we found ourselves in a pretty big hole early in the race. Fortunately, the men moved up throughout the race and ended in 22nd place. Rob also ran a smart race, but there were a few more talented runners who were just a bit better today. Still, fourth in the country is something to be proud of, and we couldn't be prouder of him and this team.
Coach Bos carried on by stating, "We couldn't be more grateful to the Lord for this season. He has blessed us with great fellowship and health throughout this year. He gets all the glory for this amazing cross country season."
In the final race of his collegiate cross country career, graduate student Robert Swoboda crossed the finish line with the fourth best time overall, 24:50.3, on a very difficult course, which is the first top five placement at the national championship meet in program history and provides Swoboda with his second All-American status of his incredible career running for Corban.
"God has really blessed me in all my years of running," Swoboda said following his top five finish. "I know that I truly gave it my all, and that is all I can give to glorify the Lord who blessed me with the gift to run. I want it to be said that it's never me out on the course, but God using me to help bring glory to His name."
True freshman Jack Gladfelter put an exclamation mark on the first season of his young collegiate long-distance calling with a 70th overall finish via a 26:01.7 final time in his first of many national championship meet appearances. Sophomore Zander Moha clinched a 135th place finish with a 26:30.9 mark, while freshman Braydon Lee and junior Forrest Cooley dropped final times of 27:13.3 and 27:24.6 to earn 222nd and 239th place finishes, respectively, and thus rounded out the top finishes for Corban.
Sophomores Grant Anderson and Noah Andres rounded off the Navy and Gold runners competing just outside the top 300 racers by recording final times within ten seconds of each other. The handfuls of Warrior Nation supporters in attendance this afternoon not only witnessed history in the program's twentieth season of competition, but observed perhaps the most significant race in school history that will only propel the success of the Corban long-distance varsity teams into the next era of success.
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