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Luke Walling

Men's Cross-Country

Walling Leads Harding to Eighth-Place Finish at Cowboy Jamboree

STILLWATER, Okla. – The last time Harding men's cross-country ran at the Cowboy Jamboree, the team had a very forgettable 17th place finish among 19 teams in 2012. Saturday, Harding turned in a more memorable effort, placing eighth among 23 teams with 213 points.
Harding placed fourth among 11 NCAA Division II team and finished well above Southern Nazarene, the only other Great American Conference team in the 8K race.
Junior Luke Walling, a native of Smithville, Arkansas, led Harding's tightly bunched pack of five scoring runners. He placed 45th in 26 minutes, 19.6 seconds, leading the Bisons for the third consecutive time this season.
TEAM NOTES
  • The Cowboy Jamboree was Harding's third of four regular season races during the 2023 season. The Bisons were seventh at the Memphis Twilight and second at the Steve Guymon Invitational last Friday in Searcy.
  • Harding competed in the Cowboy Jamboree for the ninth time. Its best finish was second in 1995. The lone Harding runner ever to win the Cowboy Jamboree was Hall of Famer Daniel Kirwa in 2008.
  • Harding's five scoring runners all finished between 45th place and 72nd place and were only separated by 41 seconds.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
  • Walling has now finished either first or second among Harding runners for all 15 races in his career.
  • Second among Harding runners was French sophomore Arnaud des Boscs … running in his first career 8K and only his second collegiate cross-country race, he placed 54th in 26:34.7.
  • Nate Perry, a sophomore, placed third among Harding runners and 56th overall in 26:37.5 … it was his third consecutive race to finish among the top three Bisons after never finishing higher than fourth as a freshman.
  • Senior Jackson Pruim was among Harding's scoring runners for the 18th consecutive race … he finished fourth among Bisons and 67th overall in 26:51.8.
  • Rounding out the scorers for Harding was senior Tom Valente, a scoring runner for the second straight race and for the third time in his career … he finished fifth among Harding runners and 75th overall in 27:03.3
  • Harding's sixth and seventh finishers were senior Zach Reed (86th, 27:13.4) and sophomore Tucker Allen (88th, 27:16.2).
UP NEXT
  • Harding runs its final regular season race on Oct. 7 at the Dallas Baptist Old Glory Gallop in Grand Prairie, Texas. The GAC meet is Oct. 21 in Russellville, Arkansas.
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Tucker Allen

Tucker Allen

5' 10"
Sophomore
Nate Perry

Nate Perry

6' 0"
Sophomore
Jackson Pruim

Jackson Pruim

6' 0"
Fifth Year
Zach Reed

Zach Reed

6' 1"
Junior
Tom Valente

Tom Valente

6' 1"
Senior
Luke Walling

Luke Walling

5' 10"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Tucker Allen

Tucker Allen

5' 10"
Sophomore
Nate Perry

Nate Perry

6' 0"
Sophomore
Jackson Pruim

Jackson Pruim

6' 0"
Fifth Year
Zach Reed

Zach Reed

6' 1"
Junior
Tom Valente

Tom Valente

6' 1"
Senior
Luke Walling

Luke Walling

5' 10"
Junior
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Phone: 501-279-4760