Kansas City, Mo. – The Central Methodist University men's cross country team closed out their 2016 season on Saturday afternoon at the 2016 Heart of America Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships. The Eagles finished in 7th place, out of 13 total schools.

"Our men had a solid day today," said CMU Director of Cross Country Mark Nelson. "The overall race ended up being somewhat slow, but we placed well and had our best 1-5 split that we have had all season. With so many freshman on this team, I am really excited to see where this team will go in the coming years."

Leading the way for CMU on Saturday, was freshman Elliot Knernschield (FR/Jefferson City, Mo.). He finished in 30^th place with a time of 28:14.66. Teammate Michael Neeley (JR/Kansas City, Mo.) finished just a few spots behind Knernschield, in 33^rd place with a time of 28:23.24. Joseph Bruemmer (FR/Jefferson City, Mo.) finished in 49^th place, while Doug Hutcherson (SR/Clinton, Mo.) finished 52^nd. Jan Steinmueller (FR/Mannheim, Germany) placed 72^nd, with Trevor Roebke (FR/Strafford, Mo.) placing 74^th, and Ryan Bennett (FR/Eldon, Mo.) finished 79^th. Ethan Lasley (FR/Grain Valley, Mo.) also ran for the Eagles on Saturday, finishing in 102^nd place.

Missouri Valley College claimed The Heart's men's team title. Individually, Jamal Boma from William Penn University won the race, with a time of 25:46.66.

For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit http://www.cmueagles.com. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles.