Four SHU Men Finish in Top 10; Saints Are Runners-Up at OCC Invite

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. -- Four Siena Heights men placed among the top 10 finishers at the Oakland Community College Invitational on Saturday as the Saints' men's cross country team took second place among four teams.

Wayne State won the event with 16 points, followed by SHU (42), Oakland CC (78) and Concordia (150).

SHU runner David Weeks (Eaton Rapids, Mich./Eaton Rapids) was the only man standing in the way of a perfect score for Wayne State, which had its top finishers go 1-2-3-4-6.

Weeks took fifth place in 26:35 on the 8K course. Course conditions were muddy and the runners battled 35 mile-per-hour winds.

Jesiah Rodriguez (Erie, Mich./Erie Mason), Justin Bateson (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) and Zach Widner (Detroit, Mich./Weston Prep) snagged seventh, eighth and ninth place, respectively.

Rodriguez crossed the line in 27:02, Bateson finished in 27:03 and Widner clocked in at 27:17.

Kyle Smith (Shelby Township, Mich./De La Salle) finished out the Saints' scoring, taking 13th in 27:43.

Vasilios Neri (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) came in 16th and Andrew Mark (Lowell, Mich./Lowell) grabbed 17th with times of 28:24 and 28:32.

The Saints will compete again next Saturday at the Great Lakes Invitational in Grand Rapids, Mich.