LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Junior Damon Pruett put forth a remarkable effort at Pre-Nationals on Saturday morning (Oct. 17), helping IUPUI finish 33rd of 42 teams competing in the seeded race at E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer Park. Pruett paced the Jags for the second straight race, smashing IUPUI's 8K record with a time of 24:21.5 to finish 109th of 288 runners. In doing so, he shaved more than 11 seconds off the previous school record, set by Aaron Kremer back in 2010. 

Fellow junior Robert Murphy also went under IUPUI's previous record, running a time of 24:26.0 to finish 122nd of 288 runners.

"I wouldn't say it was our best day, but those guys at the top of the lineup ran well," IUPUI Head Coach Chuck Koeppen said. "Damon ran really tough and so did Murphy. Dubbs was pretty good today too, but as a team we didn't fare as well as we would've liked.

"I'm not disappointed but it wasn't very pretty to watch. We're capable of better."

Two more juniors comprised the Jaguars' top four finishers as Dakota Dubbs was 154th at 24:40.2 and Peyton Reed was 190th at 24:51.5. Senior Joey Zielinski capped the scoring five at 25:04.3 and was followed immediately by junior Max Zmija at 25:04.5.

Sophomore Connor Sorrells rounded out IUPUI's seven entries at 25:41.7. 

In the open race, freshman Griffin Miller continued to excel, running a time of 24:51.7 to finish seventh of 133 runners while running unattached. Junior Abiel Mogos crossed at 25:06.6 and Adam Guth ran 25:13.2, both earning top 30 finishes. 

"Griffin ran great in the open race today," Koeppen said. "He was really impressive and did a really good job."

The nation's elite showcased their talent as No. 1 Colorado proved to be dominant, winning the team title with just 89 points. Oregon (151), Arkansas (164), UTEP (197) and Georgetown (214) rounded out the top five and Virginia Tech was sixth, led by senior Thomas Curtin. Curtin pulled a mild upset, winning the individual tape in a time of 23:18.2, edging Oregon's Edward Cheserek by just more than four seconds. UTEP had the third and fourth-place finishers, including freshman Jonah Koech placing fourth at 23:24.3. 

Saturday's race marked the final tune-up before the Jaguars head to South Dakota on Oct. 31, looking to defend The Summit League title. The Jaguars will toe the line in the league championships, hosted by South Dakota State on Halloween morning. 

"It's going to be a fun Summit League Championship," Koeppen said. "There's some good runners and good teams in our league, but I think our boys will be ready."

Team Results
1. Colorado - 89
2. Oregon - 151
3. Arkansas - 164
4. UTEP - 197
5. Georgetown - 214
6. Virginia Tech - 223
7. California - 300
8. Air Force - 318
9. Colorado State - 351
10. UC Santa Barbara - 374
11. Louisville - 401
12. Southern Utah - 427
13. Washington State - 445
14. Cornell - 455
15. Eastern Michigan - 471
16. Texas - 484
17. Duke - 506
18. San Francisco - 508
19. Yale - 509
20. Purdue - 545
21. Ohio State - 592
22. Cal Poly - 593
23. Akron - 640
24. Minnesota - 645
25. Kentucky - 670
26. Bradley - 705
27. Florida - 722
28. Stephen F. Austin - 744
29. Kansas - 752
30. Campbell - 760
31. Missouri - 796
32. Utah Valley - 801
33. IUPUI - 803
34. Wyoming - 804
35. Georgia - 807
36. Georgia Tech - 817
37. Wichita State - 850
38. North Texas - 855
39. Butler - 885
40. Indiana State - 910
41. Houston - 987
42. Buffalo - 1,140

Individual Results
Seeded Race (288 runners)
109. Damon Pruett - 24:21.5
122. Robert Murphy - 24:26.0
154. Dakota Dubbs - 24:40.2
190. Peyton Reed - 24:51.5
228. Joey Zielinski - 25:04.3
229. Max Zmija - 25:04.5
272. Connor Sorrells - 25:41.7
Open Race (133 runners)
7. Griffin Miller - 24:51.7
21. Abiel Mogos - 25:06.6
27. Adam Guth - 25:13.2
50. Miguel Lozano - 25:41.7
53. Xavier Reed - 25:43.7
55. Joel Thompson - 25:45.1
66. Sammy Tebeje - 25:55.4
76. Mitch Hubner - 26:05.9
101. Jeremy Breedlove - 26:43.4
103. Daniel Hauersperger - 26:46.5
108. Kyle Lewis - 26:51.3
131. Joseph Wright - 28:46.9