The Morehead State men's cross country team finished the 2013 season by garnering a regional ranking. The Eagles are ranked 14th in the Southeast by the United States Track and Field and Cross County Country Coaches Association. MSU was last ranked regionally in 2008.
"The men raced really well at the Southeast Region Championships, and for them to finish 14th is an incredible accomplishment," Head Coach Brent Ericksen said. "Two years ago we finished 30th in the region. It is great to see their hard work pay off. Not only has this group finished higher than any other team in Morehead State history, but their performance on Saturday really re-wrote the record book."
Five of the top-six all-time best 10K performances in program history were established at the regional, and in Ericksen's three seasons, there are also four entries on the 8K performance list.
"I think we saw some signs of progress as early as last year when we beat LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss and some other regionally-ranked teams from the South at the Vanderbilt Invitational," Ericksen added. "This year has been another big step in the right direction. It's exciting to beat some of the Atlantic Coast Conference schools like Wake Forest and Clemson, along with a host of other teams from the region that we weren't quite ready to contend with in the past."
Morehead State had also finished fourth at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship in Ericksen's first two campaigns before earning a third-place score this season.
"The final regional ranking of the year is earned, not voted on, which is what makes our highest finish so special," he said. "I couldn't be happier with these guys and how they have learned to train and compete. What a great way to finish the cross country season."
