ELMHURST, ILL - The Elmhurst University men's cross country team delivered a determined effort at the Dan Houston Invite, hosted by Wartburg College on October 4 at the Max Championship Cross Country Course in Waverly, Iowa. The Bluejays placed 10th overall in the 16-team field, finishing with 282 points and a team time of 2:18:59 in the 8,000-meter race.

Junior Eric Martinez paced Elmhurst for the second straight meet, crossing the line in 26:40.1 to take 51st overall. Sophomore David Valkanov followed closely behind in 26:43.4 for 55th, continuing his consistent stretch near the team's top. Senior Brandon Pounders posted another solid performance, finishing 104th in 27:36.1, while sophomore Michael Bailey clocked 28:05.0 to take 127th. Junior Kayden Miller rounded out Elmhurst's scoring lineup in 235th with a time of 31:03.8.

Sophomore Chris Marroquin added depth to the lineup, finishing 198th in 29:54.8, while the group's consistency helped Elmhurst average under 28 minutes per runner. The Bluejays finished just one point ahead of Illinois Wesleyan (283) and other teams such as Wartburg Alumni, Iowa State Running Club, and Buena Vista.

Host Wartburg dominated the meet with a near-perfect score of 23, sweeping five of the top seven individual spots. Simpson (Iowa) finished second with 112 points, followed by Central College (127), Gustavus Adolphus (136), and Nebraska Wesleyan (145).

The meet served as another key building block for Elmhurst as the team continues to sharpen its pack running ahead of the upcoming stretch of October competitions. The Bluejays will return to action on October 18 at the Augustana Interregional Invitational in Rock Island, IL.