Red Wolves - IU East

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Zach Burns and Nicole House wouldn't let a little rain spoil their experience at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships.

Indiana University East coach Pam Mertz said Burns and House ran well despite rainy conditions that turned the course at the Fort Vancouver Historical Site in Vancouver, Wash., into a muddy mess.

Burns (Cambridge City, Ind./Lincoln High School), a freshman, finished 172nd out of 323 runners in the 8K men's race.

Burns finished in 27:07.

House (Hagerstown, Ind./Hagerstown High School), a sophomore, finished the 5K women's race in 22:11.

She finished 292nd in a field of 330.

Mertz said she was happy with those times, considering the conditions. Burns' 8K men's school record is 26:35. House's 5K women's school record is 21:30.

"The course was narrow, wet and muddy," Mertz said. "Times were slower for everyone."

Burns and House were the first IU East cross country runners to compete in the NAIA National Championships.

The weekend in the Pacific Northwest included a banquet at the Nike Champions Banquet at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., and a memorable chance to see a part of the country neither had visited before.

And lots of rain.

Malone won the men's team title. Silas Kisorio of Oklahoma Christian won the men's race in 24:23

Cal State San Marcos won the women's team title. Justyna Mudy of Shorter won the women's race in 17:30.

"It was very impressive to see the best runners in the country," Mertz said.