Results
 
SHELBYVILLE, Ind. – The Calvin University men's cross country team won the NCAA III Great Lakes Regional on Saturday.
 
The Knights, who entered the day ranked second in the region, took first place with a total team score of 99. That total topped second-place John Carroll University, which was ranked first in the region coming into the event.
 
The Regional title was the first for the Calvin men's cross country team since the 2019 season, and marks the 29th Regional championship in program history.
 
Luke Witvliet (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian) led the Knights like he has throughout the second, taking second place with a time of 24:47.98.
 
Thaine Nederveld (Columbus, Ohio/Columbus Alternative) followed behind him in 15th place with a time of 25:17.45 thanks to a strong second half of the race, while Eric Swinson (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) finished 18th with a time of 25:30.52.
 
Caleb Gaffner (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) was the fourth Calvin finisher in 26th place with a time of 25:39.09. The fifth and final Calvin runner was freshman Vaughn Meyer (Dexter, Mich./Dexter) who finished in 25:54.41 to take 38th place and help secure the first-place team finish.
 
By winning the NCAA III Regional championship, the Knights secured the automatic bid from the region in next week's NCAA III Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Terre Haute, Indiana, on November 23.
 
This will mark the 31st consecutive season the Knights have qualified for the NCAA III Cross Country Championships, and the 39th overall time in program history.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "These guys had a lot of fun today," Calvin head cross country coach Nicole Kramer said. "I'm really proud of how they battled and went in without fear. All of them did the best that they could and moved up throughout the race which is what really sealed it for us. We were seventh at the 2K split and then that 3K to 6K spot we really took advantage of opportunities we saw there to make some moves. Kudos to our guys being really gritty and it feels great to be back on top of the region."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's cross country will close the 2024 season by running in the NCAA III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 23, in Terre Haute, Indiana.