TERRE HAUTE, IN – The Johns Hopkins men's cross country team got a preview of this year's NCAA Championship Saturday morning when they traveled to Indiana to take part in the John McNichols Invitational. Running at the site of the 2024 National Championship race, it was Emmanuel Leblond battling the elements to lead all Blue Jays, crossing the line in fourth to help guide his team to a fourth-place finish among non-Division I programs.
 
The junior impressed in a field of top Division III talent that included top-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse and second-ranked Wartburg, sitting in sixth at the 3K mark before climbing two spots in the final 5K to finish fourth with a time of 24:23.3. Next to cross the line was graduate transfer Lucas Rackers, who climbed over 50 spots in the back half of the race take 27th among non-Divison I point-scorers, finishing the 8K in 25:03.8 to narrowly beat out both a Wartburg and La Crosse runner.
 
Coming in just behind Rackers was Rowan Cassidy, who was the 32^nd non-Division I runner across the line with a time of 25:09.1 before Olaf Dietz (38^th / 25:20.1) and Connor Oiler (40^th / 25:22.2) rounded out Hopkins' point scorers.
 
2023 National Runner-Up Wisconsin-La Crosse took first in the meet with a score of 46, with Wartburg (72) and North Central (Ill.) (95) completing the top three. The Blue Jays were next in fourth with 141 points, beating out fifth-ranked Lynchburg as well as top 20 programs in WashU and NYU.
 
Hopkins is back in action Saturday, Oct. 5 to compete at the Paul Short Invitational, with the men's race set to begin at 10 a.m.