COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Santa Clara University men's cross country team faced some of the nation's best for the second straight meet, competing Friday at the Pre-Nationals Invitational hosted by the University of Missouri at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Daniel Trampe paced the Broncos, placing 86th in 24 minutes, 31.3 seconds over the 8-kilometer course as Santa Clara's lone top-100 finisher. Freshman Zafer Courcelle followed close behind, taking 108th in 24:49.6.
   
• The next pack of Broncos — Jack Tolbert, Paul Beaven, Kaden Helder, McCoy Brooks, and Daniel Vaca — ran tightly together, separated by only 31 seconds from the team's No. 3 through No. 7 spots. Tolbert crossed 173rd in 25:28.4, Beaven came through 185th in 25:34.7, and Helder was next in 188th at 25:36.5. Brooks clocked 24:44.1 for 200th, and Vaca broke the 26-minute mark in 25:59.8 to finish 218th.
   
• As a team, Santa Clara placed 26th among 31 programs in a field that included four teams ranked or receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA poll. Host Missouri, ranked No. 19, took second behind meet champion Georgia. No. 30 Loyola Chicago finished fifth, No. 22 Arkansas was eighth, and Wyoming — also receiving votes — came in 12th.

COMING UP

• The Broncos will have a squad compete Saturday at Baylands Regional Park for their own Bronco Invitational. The men's invitational race starts at 8:45 a.m. Fans can find live results links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.