By: Staff Writer, Patrick Philips
Mountaineers Finish Fifth at Home Meet
BEREA, Ky. — The Berea College men's cross country team competed at home Saturday in the Mike and Mary Johnson Classic, finishing fifth out of seven teams with 130 points.
The Mountaineers were led by two top-10 finishes from Desire Itwitaho and Taiki Ogawa.
Itwitaho finished seventh overall in the men's 8K with a time of 28:04.1, averaging 5:38.8 per mile. The finish marked his second consecutive top-10 performance to open the 2026 season.
Ogawa followed closely behind, placing 10th overall with a time of 28:15.2 and an average of 5:41.0 per mile.
Andrew Bratcher was Berea's third finisher, placing 52nd in 32:10.5. Austin Gatewood followed in 60th at 32:47.1, while Shane Mitchell-Cox finished 73rd in 34:57.1.
Noah Howard placed 80th with a time of 36:20.1, and Hasel Perez-Garcia finished 93rd in 55:04.3. Kellen Young was listed as a DNF in the official results.
Berea Results
As a team, Berea finished fifth with 130 points, ahead of Alice Lloyd (165) and Kentucky State (207). Centre won the team competition with 20 points, followed by Truett-McConnell with 57 and Asbury with 78.
The Mountaineers will return to action Friday, Oct. 3, at the Swag Louisville Cross Country Classic in Louisville.
