EDMOND, Okla. – Harding men's cross-country got off to a solid start Saturday at the Great American Conference Championship, hosted by Southern Nazarene University at Santa Fe High School, but an injury to its leading runner led to a fourth-place finish among the seven conference teams.

Through the first 3,300 meters of the eight-kilometer race, Harding was in second place and poised to challenge for its third GAC championship. Then junior Bartek Kwiecinski had to pull out of the race with a foot injury that had hampered him for the last two weeks.

Without Kwiecinski, who led Harding in all three races this season, Harding dropped to fourth by the 6,440-meter mark and finished there with 89 points. East Central won for the sixth time in eight GAC Championships with 25 points. Oklahoma Baptist was second with 48, and Southern Arkansas was third with 68.

Despite the injury, Harding still performed well with four freshmen and one sophomore scoring for the Bisons.

Harding had two runners finish in the top 15 and earn second-team All-GAC honors. Freshman Dylan Douglas placed 11th in 26 minutes, 21.0 seconds, and sophomore Keneth Chelelgo placed 14th in 26:44.3.

Additional scoring runners for Harding included freshman Micah Langat (17th, 26:56.3), freshman Ardison Kipchirchir (21st, 27:01.6) and freshman Hosea Kiptoo (26th, 27:14.8).

Larry Filer of East Central won the race in 25:21.4.

Harding's next scheduled competition is at the NCAA Central Region Championship, hosted by Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri, on Nov. 17.