MAGNOLIA, Ark. – No one in Clark County was faster than Southern Arkansas'
Rob Kraus on Saturday. The veteran runner showcased his savviness down the stretch during the men's 5K at the season-opening Bob Gravett Invitational as he employed a heavy kick, passed up race leader Evan Armitage of Ouachita late with just two turns left and then found an extra gear to speed through the tape and claim the individual title behind a career-best 5K time of 15:20.7.
Kraus' mile average of 4:56.0 helped lead Southern Arkansas to a second-place finish and nearly the team title as Ouachita edged the Muleriders 31-33 with a total race time of just 0:00:19 seconds faster. The win is the second victory for Kraus in what has become a spectacular career as a Mulerider. He won the Lois Davis Invitational in Magnolia last fall.
Kraus had help and his supporting case was superb. Senior
Hector Hernandez placed third at a personal best 5K time of 15:48.2 and true freshman
Wesley Maxwell, in his collegiate debut, finished a second and a half back of Hernandez in fourth as Muleriders occupied three of the top five spots.
Two more Southern Arkansas runners landed inside the top 15 as freshmen
Michael Marler (16:27.3) and
Joaquin Tello (16:29.5) placed 14
th and 15
th respectively in their first action as collegiate runners. Ouachita placed runners in fifth and seventh through thirteenth to just top Southern Arkansas in the former's home meet to begin the season.
Sophomore
Pedro Cervantes and true freshman
Joseph Garay rounded out point scorers for the Muleriders. Cervantes placed 16
th at 16:39.8 which stands as a personal best 5K effort and Garay, in his first collegiate run, posted an 18
th place showing at 16:50.6.
Freshman
Isaac Gass (17:03.4) finished in 22
nd and junior
Briston Rains (18:11.8), who is a decathlete on the track and field team, placed 30
th behind the fastest 5K result of his collegiate career.
