ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Florida Tech men's cross country team were back on the course on Saturday morning at the Lewis Crossover at the Lewis Cross Country Course. The Panthers earned a 15^th place finish in the 27-team field that included nine ranked programs in the top-30.

Not only did the team finish in front of three regional teams in UAH, PBA and Trevecca Nazarene, in a field of 275 runners, Tech also had four runners finish in the Top 100, and three in the top 75.  
 
Setting the pace for the Crimson and Gray was sophomore Tom Evans, who was the first Panther runner across the tape with a time of 25:29.20 in his first collegiate 8K, good for 60^th place. The next Florida Tech runner to complete the race was Noah Heal, who took 74^th place with a time of 25:37.00.

Shane Levesque earned 75^th place as he finished a tenth of second behind Heal, setting a new personal record by almost two minutes. Thomas Carpenter beat his personal record by nine seconds, with his 25:45.20 good for 88^th place. Freshman Wesley Petersen placed 136^th in his first collegiate 8K, reaching the line at 26:18.00.

Rhett Turner (26:53.30) set a new personal record to grab 174^th and Tyler Herrera's 27:35.90 was good for 220^th.  

In total, all seven Panther runners completed the 8K in under 28 minutes.
 
Men's Top Finishers (Place)
1. Tom Evans – 25:29.20 (60th)
2. Noah Heal – 25:37.00 (74th)
3. Shane Levesque – 25:37.10 (75th)
4. Thomas Carpenter – 25:45.20 (88th)
5. Wesley Petersen – 26:18.00 (136th)
6. Rhett Turner – 26:53.30 (174th)
7. Tyler Herrera – 27:35.90 (220th)

COACHES CORNER:
"Mixed day for the squad today," said Coach Anderson. Felt good to take some regional marks today but we were slow out of the gate to start. Lots to walk away from today that's positive as we enter a busy racing stretch to tune up before we enter the championship segment."

NEXT UP:
The Panthers will return to competition on Friday, October 16^th in Lakeland for the Ed Holloway Classic, which is scheduled to begin at 6:15 P.M.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Florida Tech men's cross country team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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