Aron Rono of Azusa Pacific captures second consecutive individual title

RESULTS

KENOSHA, Wis. – Malone (Ohio) defeated Azusa Pacific (Calif.) by 57 points to win the NAIA Men’s Cross Country National Championship Saturday, Nov. 22 at Dr. Wayne E. Dannehl Cross Country Course in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  The Pioneers won their second straight and third overall title.

Malone placed three runners in the top-10 and posted a score of 61 points while Azusa Pacific finished with 118 points.  Aquinas (Mich.) scored 194 points for third place and Southern Oregon finished three points behind with 197 points for fourth.  Indiana Tech (245 points), Concordia (Neb.) (249 points), Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (263 points), Black Hills State (S.D.) (281), Concordia (Ore.) (288 points) and Huntington (Ind.) (308) all finished in the top-10.

Aron Rono of Azusa Pacific (Calif.) won the individual title for second straight season with a time of 23:45.8 while teammate Abednego Magut cross the line third in 24 minutes 31.3 second.  Malone’s Nikolaus Schweikert (24:03) finished second and Aaron Melhorn (24:36.1) placed fifth.  Jordan Powell of Oklahoma Christian came in fourth with a time of 24:35.1 to rounded out the top-five

The 2008 NAIA Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year honors went to Jack Hazen of Malone College.  He also earned the honors in 1972 and 2007 after leading the Pioneers to their first two titles.

Azusa Pacific (Calif.), Malone (Ohio), Indiana Tech and California State-San Marcos earned the team awards after compiling the lowest combine (men and women) scores at the national championships.

Team Scores:

Azusa Pacific (Calif.) – 184 (118 men, 66 women)

Malone (Ohio) – 221 (61 men, 160 women)

Indiana Tech – 468 (245 men, 223 women)

California State-San Marcos – 491 (337 men, 154 women)