Tyler Cantley was on the Eagle Crest Golf Course in Ypsilanti, Mich., Saturday, and had a good run.
The Ohio University freshman and former Warren standout placed 32nd in a field of 74 at the 2008 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships, which was hosted by Eastern Michigan University. He was the third Bobcat to cross the 8K finish line in a season-best time of 25 minutes, 52.6 seconds, which averaged out at 5:13 a mile.
Cantley's OU teammates Shamus Eaton and Ridge Robinson finished ahead of him.
Running in the middle of the pack has to be something new for Cantley, a consistent first-place finisher for most of his prep running career as a Warrior. But, needless to say, at the NCAA Division I collegiate level, it's a brand new ballgame. There's excellent competition everywhere, every weekend on the fall CC courses.
To give you an idea of what Cantley, a biology major at OU, was up against Saturday, Josh Karanja of Eastern Michigan covered the 8K course distance in a winning time of 24:18.7, which averaged out at 4:54 a mile.
Team-wise, Ohio University placed fifth overall in a field of nine MAC schools.
The Bobcats are scheduled to compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in West Lafayette, Ind., Nov. 15. The racing event is being hosted by Purdue University.
n While on the sport of college cross country, Brandon Crislip was runner-up in the men's race in last Friday's Red & White Invitational at the Stanley Evans Field complex at the University of Rio Grande.
The Rio Grande freshman and former Belpre Golden Eagles runner covered the 3.1-mile distance in 17:05.70.
One of Crislip's Red Storm teammates is freshman and former Warren Warrior Nick Wilson, who apparently did not compete in Friday's race.
On the women's side, Rio Grande sophomore and ex-Morgan runner Hillary Haines crossed the Red & White Invitational 2-mile finish line in a time of 15:15.70, good for the seventh position.
The Rio Grande men's and women's cross country teams are scheduled to compete in the American Mideast Conference Championships in Cleveland Saturday.
n And, finally...in case you missed it, Ohio State University sophomore and former Fort Frye baseball standout Tyler Engle was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored in the deciding game of the annual Scarlet and Gray World Series at Bill Davis Stadium on Oct. 15. He also stole a base.
Engle, who batted third as the designated hitter in the lineup, played on the Scarlet team, which won a 7-4 decision.
Ron Johnston is The Marietta Times sports editor, and can be reached at 376-5441, or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com.
