HAYS — Allen Community College’s cross country squad showed once again just how deep this year’s men’s team can be.
While claiming third place overall at the Fort Hays State Open, the Red Devil men had another different runner complete the 8K course quicker than his teammates.
Ryan Pulsifer’s time of 25 minutes, 11.29 seconds was a shade faster than Tegan Michael’s 25:13.18, as the pair finished 11th and 12th, respectively.
This is the fourth time a different runner has led ACC, head coach Vince DeGrado said.
“I was very pleased with how Ryan got out and mixed it up with the front pack early,” DeGrado said. “He ended up fading after mile 3, but he still battled and competed throughout the race. Tegan finally had a breakout race where he was able to put things together.”
Others racing for the Red Devils were Garrett Colgrazier, 25th at 25:35.29; Josh Whittaker, 26th at 25:36.05; Adam Evans, 30th at 25:41.72; Brock Artis, 36th at 26:03.70; Kyle Schauvliege, 40th at 25:16.47; Patrick Rachford, 56th at 26:44.25; and Tucker Morgan, 80th at 27:43.31.
Allen scored 99 points, behind Division 2 schools Northwest Missouri State, which won the event with 37 points, and host Fort Hays State, at 41.
Of note, Garden City Community College, defending Region VI champs, finished fifth.
“This was a very big meet for us because we knew that we were going to compete on a course that has always produced really fast times, and we knew we were going to be more aggressive here than before,” DeGrado said. “I challenged them before the race to get out and try to run out of their comfort zone. For the most part, a lot of them did that. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better team performance from the guys today.
“The competition was exactly what we were looking for,” DeGrado continued. “I really wanted a fast, aggressive course along with some quality competition. … So for us to run up against them gave us an idea where they are.”
Now, Allen sets its sights on the upcoming Jayhawk East Conference and Region VI championships hosted by Johnson County Community College Oct. 27.
The Red Devils have a prime opportunity to claim its first-ever conference title, as well as the regionals crown, DeGrado said.
“This honestly is truly the reason why I came over here, to get a chance to be in this position. This team is not going to settle with this weekend’s performance and times. In our minds, our season hasn’t started; all of this was only practice for when it really counts.”