In a meet loaded with nationally ranked teams, the 17th-ranked Hope College men's cross country team earned a hard-fought ninth-place finish at the 36-team Augustana College Interregional Invitational on Saturday in Rock Island, Illinois.

Led by senior Carston Cole, the Flying Dutchmen persevered through hot and humid conditions to total 286 points, placing only behind teams ranked higher than them in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national rankings for NCAA Division III.

Thirteen nationally ranked teams were in the field. Top-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse won with 56 points, finishing 12 ahead of runner-up and second-ranked Wartburg College (Iowa).

"We had a really good meet heading into conference," head coach Mark Northuis said. "We have our top six within 40 seconds of each other."

Hope next competes at the MIAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m. at Broadway Acres Golf Course in Charlotte. The meet is hosted by The University of Olivet.

Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) clocked a season-best 8K time of 25 minutes, 11.7 seconds for 40th place at Saukie Golf Course in the Gold Division field, which featured 339 runners.

Sophomore Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) finished 42nd in 25:13.5.

Sophomore Elias Kretchmar (Granville, Ohio / Granville) posted a 54th-place time of 25:26.3.

Freshman Aidan Moore (Battle Creek, Michigan / Lakeview) ran 25:35.4 for 69th place.

Senior Jonathan Harlow (Holland, Michigan / Home School) finished in 25:49.3 for 90th place.

Sophomore Cooper Jacobsen (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Eastern) recorded a time of 25:50.9 for 94th place.

Senior Lucas Guidone (Chicago, Illinois / Taft) ran 25:51.2 for 95th place.

Sophomore Noah Norris (Ann Arbor, Michigan / Washtenaw Academy) finished in 26:13.7 for 140th place.