ASHLAND, Neb. – Bluejay Cross Country traveled to Ashland, Neb. on Saturday to compete in a loaded field at the Blazing Tiger NAIA Invitational, hosted by the College of Saint Mary and Doane University.
 
The field consisted of five NAIA Top 25 programs on the women's side, including No. 1 ranked Dordt, while three nationally ranked programs were featured on the men's side, headlined by No. 2 ranked Southern Oregon.
 
Harper Brickley led the Bluejay Women with an 88^th place finish, running a time of 24:31.7 in the 6k, while Julianna Maxfield followed up with a 110^th place finish and a time of 24:52.7. Daysha Allison crossed the finish line next, running a time of 26:40.1, good for a 227^th place finish. Junior Lauryn Turner finished as the third Bluejay runner to cross the finish line, finishing in 264^thwith a time of 27:37.8, while Rory Hawk finished 317^th and Ella Neighbors finished 331^st, running times of 32:06.1 and 34:50.8 respectively. Overall, the Tabor Women finished 25^th out of 28 teams, beating Midland, Dakota Wesleyan, and Cottey.
 
On the men's side, freshman Ethan Tolbert led the way, taking 206^th place in the 8k and running a time of 28:08.7. He was followed closely behind by another freshman in Gabriel Decker, who recorded a 234^th place finish with a time of 28:39.7. Wade Ratzlaff was the third Bluejay to cross the finish line, running a time of 29:31.1, good for 290^th place, while David Rodriguez followed with a 319^th finish, running a time of 30:12.3. Samuel Andres (342^nd, 30:43.9), Jacob Buller (362^nd, 31:32.0), Holden Switzer (384^th, 32:57.6), and Taegen Gallagher (392^nd, 33:37.7) rounded out the individual performances. Overall, the Bluejay Men took 23^rd place out of 27 teams, beating Sterling, St. Ambrose, Briar Cliff, and Missouri Valley.
 
All in all, the Bluejays recorded solid finishes against many of the top teams in the country. They will take this next week to continue training and resting as they prepare to compete at the KCAC Cross Country Championships in Springfield, Mo. on Saturday, November 7^th.
 
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Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).