The Master’s College men’s cross country team entered the season loaded with talent and expectations.

So far, it’s lived up to all of them.

The Mustangs, led by the trio of John Gilbertson, Anthony Pizzo and Jeff Jackson, finished with a team time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 55 seconds on the 8K course at the Golden State Athletic Conference Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno to win the school’s third conference title.

“We came back with a conference title. That’s what we set out to do and that’s what we did,” said TMC head coach Zach Schroeder, who was named the GSAC Coach of the Year. “It was a great day at the races.”

TMC bested traditional power Azusa Pacific by 11 points.

Gilbertson finished second overall with a time of 24:32, Pizzo took fifth in 24:50 followed by Jackson in sixth in 24:55.
Azusa Pacific’s Abednego Magut won the race with a time of 24:11.

The Master’s College’s previous conference championships were won by the baseball team in 2003 and men’s soccer in 2009.

But key in the Mustangs’ championship were the performances from Nos. 4 and 5 runners Nathan Seyler and Josiah Downer, whose 21st- and 24th-place times scored crucial points.

“They were instrumental in us producing a team time of 2:06:55, which is one of the fastest legitimate times in the nation this year for the NAIA,” Schroeder said.

Now TMC’s sites are set on a potential national title.

The NAIA Championships will be held Nov. 20 in Vancouver, Wash.

Cross Country

The men weren’t the only Mustangs to have standout races on Saturday at the GSAC Championships.

Freshmen Hannah Kellerman and Hayley Parkinson, a Canyon High graduate, placed 16th and 25th, respectively.

Kellerman ran a 18:30 on the 5K course, while Parkinson finished in 18:56.

“They definitely are the building blocks, and I think it will be exciting to see where they go in the future,” Schroeder said.
Runners in the top 15 whose teams did not qualify for nationals received at-large bids to the NAIA Championships.

Kellerman finished a mere three seconds behind the 15th-place finisher, ending her season.

“That’s just really brutal. That’s a hard pill to swallow,” Schroeder said. “Those tough losses really do make those victories so much sweeter.”

Sarah Pattison took 46th overall, followed by Erika Pizzo (64th), Alya Draper (65) and Micayla Frankian (69).
A total of 106 women competed in the race.