COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's cross country program was represented by Thomas Chapman at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships this morning (Nov. 22) which was held at the Gans Creek XC Course.

Chapman — a native of Brazil, Ind., and a graduate of Northview High School — covered the course against the nation's top NAIA collegiate runners and finished in a time of 25:20 which was good enough for 130th place. He was the seventh-best finisher from the River States Conference in the event.

The College of Idaho won the men's team event while Evert Silva of Oklahoma City was the individual champion with a time of 23:14. 

The event was an 8k distance for the runners and was held on a chilly and cool morning in central Missouri. It was the same exact time he posted two weeks ago at the River States Conference Championship in Evansville en route to a ninth place finish and an all-conference selection at that event.

At the Angel Mounds Invitational back on October 18, Chapman ran an 8k race of 24:53 which set a new SMWC men's cross country program record and a personal best in that distance. 

Chapman's race wraps up a successful season for the Pomeroy Cross Country programs that saw both the men's and women's teams earn sixth place finishes in the River States Conference.